Olympia
by awesomekittycat
Summary: Being a princess isn't all it's cracked up to be, especially the arranged marriage part. Annabeth doesn't really like being a princess and sitting up straight and never running or skipping or jumping. But when she meets a mysterious stranger (With sea green eyes) her world turns around-but is it for the better? AU
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, everybody! Welcome to my story. So this is my sixth story. Hope you like!**

"Mother! Would you drop the subject already?"

"No, Annabeth. I will not. You are getting married, whether you like it or not!"

"But I'm not crown princess! I'm not going to be queen!"

"You never know. Something could happen to Malcom, and then you would be stuck with it." Malcom entered, said something to Mother, and she left with him. Alone, I sigh and flop in my chair. I reach up and pull the tiara off my head. Being princess of Athens isn't so bad. It's the responsibilities that come with it.

On the continent Olympia, there are twelve major kingdoms, and about 370 smaller ones. The twelve are ruled by Zeus, Poseidon, Dionysus, Ares, Hermes, Hephaestus, Apollo, Aphrodite, Demeter, Artemis, Hera, and Athena, my mother. They all have something that they focus on producing or using, like for Zeus, they focus on power and air. Power since they aren't getting very far with air. And Athena is in charge of battle strategies, and woven things.

Don't ask me why.

Anyway, Mother thinks that I need to marry, and I disagree. I'm only 16, and besides, there aren't any men out there who interest me…well, except for maybe Luke. But he's older, so he'll probably marry someone his age.

A whistle blows, pulling me out of my thoughts. The whistle signals dinner, and I put my tiara back on and straighten my gown. Then I head to the MASSIVE dining room in the middle of our palace. Mother makes a point of only talking to Malcom, so I eat quickly and stand to leave.

"Annabeth!" Mother's voice rings across the room.

"Huh? Oh, may I be excused, Your Majesty?"

"Yes, go on." I walk as fast as I can without running to my room, where I change into a tunic and trousers, pulling on a cloak to hide my hair. I leave my tiara in case of trouble, and climb the vines outside my room to the ground. Then I run to the horses stable, saddle a random horse, and head to Athena City. Making sure my hood covers my tiara, I ride into the city. I am making my way to a small house on the edge of Malcom River. (I have my own river, too.) Dismounting the horse, I tie it to a post where another horse stands. I slip my tiara into the saddle bag, making sure that no one is around. Then I knock quietly on the door.

Loover opens it, Chiron's butler. I walk past him with a nod and enter the training room. Unusually, there are two figures in there.

"Ah! Annabeth, welcome. This young man is here one time only to train also, so I hope it's alright." Chiron says.

"Fine," I say, without taking my eyes of the man.

"Well, let's get started," Chiron says, breaking the silent stare between my gray eyes and the man's sea-green ones. "Today, we are focusing on sword fighting. Annabeth, pick a sword. You too." I move to the weapons table, and my hands find an ivory sword. The man glances around, and picks up a pen off the table.

"What's this doing here?" He asks. Chiron beams.

"That is one of the few enchanted items left. Uncap it." The man does as he's told, and it grow into a 3-foot sword, glowing bronze.

"Nice," He comments. Chiron has us practice sparing, and we end up with a draw. I've practiced sword-fighting before, and it's clear that the stranger has too. Chiron says we can have the swords, he's got dozens, and the two of us leave together. There is a dark figure crouched at my saddle bag, and I draw my sword.

"What are you doing in there, thief?" I hiss. The figure looks up, a short man with a grubby face.

"Me is Marco, and me find you tiara!" He waves it triumphantly. I advance him slowly.

"Then you must know who I am. I am the Princess of this city, and you have just been caught stealing!" Marco's face drains of color. He bows and hands me the tiara. Then he moves to the other horse. The owner draws his sword lazily.

"I wouldn't." He says. Marco grins. "Why? It's not like you royalty too. Marco isn't that unlucky—" He stops with his hand in the bag, his face disbelieving as he draws out a crown.

"I guess Marco is that unlucky. Scram!" Marco drops the crown and does as he's told. The man scoops it up, puts it on his head, and tips it like a gentleman. "See you later, Princess Annabeth of Athens," He says, and is gone.

** So how was that for first chapter? Review, please! Tell me what you thought, and thanks for clicking on this story and going all the way to the bottom.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello people! Sorry, usually I am better at updating. But it's the end of the school year, so we have projects and such going on. I can't wait for it to be over! Is anyone out of school yet? Luckies! Anyway, you didn't come here to talk about school. **

"Princess Annabeth, breakfast will be served soon," says my butler, Likker. I hear his footsteps walk away from my door and I groan. After last night, I rode around a while before coming back to the castle. I am tired, sore, and grumpy from it. But I throw a gown on, run a brush through my hair, and step outside my personal chambers. My nursemaid, who's been here since I was 3 and is more like a grandmother to me, spots me and steers me back into the bedchamber. She brushes my hair completely, fixes my gown, and makes me look lively and happy while she chatters on about who know what. Then she spanks me lightly and sends me off.

"Annabeth, dear, come sit by me. I have something to tell you."  
'Uh-oh,' I think to myself, heading up to where Mother sits.

"I have a surprise for you!" Mother beams as I slid into my seat. "Tonight, we will have a ball in your honour. We have invited all eligible bachelors and you will pick a few to court!" Mother smiles bigger, as if she's just told me that I wasn't a princess anymore. That would make me beam.

"Really?" I gasp

"Yes, darling! Oh, I knew you would be delighted! Now, go sit down and eat." She whispers the last part so the Council members milling around don't hear. I head back to my seat, numb.

The rest of the morning and afternoon are filled with primping and last minute lessons. Dressmakers pour through, as do hairdressers. They argue about what to do until Mother steps in.  
"I want her in a gray gown to match her eyes. Any color added to her face will be simple. Hairstyle will also be simple. I want her to look as if she's naturally beautiful."  
"She is," whispers a plump dressmaker, and I shoot her a grateful look.

Half hour before the ball starts, the same plump dressmaker pushes me in front of the mirror. I take in myself:  
I am wearing a gray gown, with a part of the skirt pulled up to reveal black underskirt. The bodice is simple and strapless, looking like a single piece of fabric wrapped around. My hair is simple down, it's natural curls showing. I have pink lips and cheeks, and my eyelids have been brushed with gray, accenting my eyes.

Mother walks in, looks at me, and smiles. It isn't one of those fake beams she sends me, or a 'I'm-the-queen-don't-argue-with-me-now' smile I get in front of people. It's a genuine, happy smile. She walks closer and puts her hand on my shoulder, leans in close, and whispers in my ear:  
"You look dazzling. Sometimes I forget how beautiful or powerful you are. I know this isn't what you want and I'm sorry, and I hope one day you'll forgive me and be happy." As soon as she finishes, she walks up and leaves. Tears spring to my eyes. For a few seconds, I had a mom. Then Likker leads me out into the hall and stations me in front of the double door leading to the ballroom."

**Sorry, I know it's short! Please review and tell me what you think! **


	3. Chapter 3

**YAY! I'm excited to write this chapter. Well, more so than usual.**

I hear trumpets toot, and a loud voice announce me as  
"Princess Annabeth Athena Lerina Malocorn Jensu, of the Royal family Chase of Athens." The door opens and people clap for me as I gracefully glide down the staircase, my hand lightly resting on the banister. I make my way to Malcom's throne, which is slightly bigger than mine and I am instructed to use for tonight. I sit down and the procession of men starts.

Hundreds of men are presented to me, from ages 12 to 80. I am smiling fixedly and staring at the spot were the man stands, when, suddenly, a familiar figure appears.

"Presenting Prince Lukas John Castellan, son of King Hermes of Hermia." I see Luke for real this time, and he smiles at me knowingly. I roll my eyes minuscularly. "Prince Lukas enjoys helping the poor and playing rugby. He is of 20 years of age. Next!" I snort to myself. If helping the poor means stealing stuff and giving it to random people, then yeah, he likes helping the poor. And I doubt he likes rugby.

"Presenting Lord Hatter of the Land of Aphrodite. Lord Hatter owns a lot of land east of the palace and enjoys serving feasts to his townspeople. He is of 46 years of age." I am distracted by the gold buttons on the man's coattails so I don't year the next one's name. But I do hear, "Son of King Poseidon. He is of 16 years of age and enjoys sword fighting. He is also heir to his father's throne." I am slightly triumphant, since I know a little more about this mysterious green-eyed person who haunted my dreams last night. He winks at me, making Mother harrumph and me blush.

Lots and lots of boring men later, I am released to "dance and socialize." I never manage to dance with anyone interesting for at least and hour. Then, I manage to extricate myself and follow a curious man out into a courtyard. He hears me and turns, eyes twinkling.

"Princess Annabeth," He says with a bow, kissing my hand. I open my mouth, close it and nod. "This is the part where you graciously say my name in response."

"My apologies, I didn't catch your name."

"No? Must have been to busy staring at Lord Hatter's buttocks."

"I wasn't!"  
"Uh-huh."  
"I wasn't!"

"Course you weren't. What were you looking at, anywho?"  
"The buttons on his coattails."  
"I have buttons on my coattails. Would you stare if I walked away?"  
I splutter, too flustered to say anything. He walks away, watching me over his shoulder. I roll my eyes pointedly, looking anywhere but his coattails. He comes back sitting on a bench behind me. I sit next to him, and slouch against the wall.

"You look frustrated."  
"You would be too, if your father decided that 80 year olds were eligible for your marriage."  
"Well, on the bright side, they'll probably die soon enough, leaving you children, an estate, and a reason to remarry."

"True."

"Princess Annabeth! Her Majesty the Queen requests that you return inside to socialize. She also requests that you don't go flaunting your legs at bad-mannered boys." Likker looks at the bad-mannered boy beside me apologetically.  
"I wasn't flaunting my legs!"  
"What do you call that, then?" I blush and stand, brushing my dress off.

"You're going to listen to her like that? With nothing to say?" The sea-green eyes seem to pierce me. I hesitate, then turn to Likker.

"Tell Her Majesty that this 'bad-mannered boy' is a prince, and I may flaunt my legs to whoever I choose."

"Perfect." He says with a laugh. Likker scampers off.

"Your name, please? So I have something good to refer to you as?"

"And where do you describe me? Your diary?" I snort. "What do you refer to me as, then?"  
"Pea-Brain," I tell him as we head inside.

"Ah ah, this isn't filled with a pea!"  
"What, then? Certainly isn't a brain. Hmm…Posieden…the sea….got it!"  
"Care for a dance?" He asks me. I take his hand and we start to dance.

"Seaweed Brain," I say. He laughs.

"But really, I want your name."

"Perseus Remafold Lornalo Joseph, of the royal family Jackson." The song calls for us to switch partners, and I don't see him for the rest of the night.

But we will be seeing more of each other, Percy Jackson.

**Yay! So tell me what you think, I was rather proud of myself for that ending. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello everyone! So RainbowMinnieMuffin pointed out that I introduced Percy as Perseus, and Annabeth thought of him as Percy later. Well, I seriously didn't mean to do that. I think I was excited to put the chapter up so I accidently skipped it. Sorry about that and thanks for pointing it out!**

"Good morning, Annabeth dear!" Mother beams as I come in for breakfast.

"Morning Mother, Malcom," I mumble around my pastry.

"I have decided that you may pick two men from last night, and I shall pick one.

"Okay." I think for a moment, then say, "Prince Perseus Jackson, of Oceana."  
Mother splutters on her juice. "The one who winked at you? The one who you flaunted your legs at?"  
"Yes, Mother. You know he is heir to his father's throne."

"Fine. My turn."  
"You said I got to pick 2 men!"  
"I changed my mind due to poor decision making on your part. I choose Prince Lukas of Hermia." Malcom, who do you think?"  
"Lord Hatter seemed appropriate." Malcom says with a devilish smile at me.

"Done. The letters will be sent out later today." I glare at Malcom.

After breakfast is over, I wander around aimlessly.

"Princess Annebeth!" Likker calls to me that evening.  
"Yes, Likker?"  
"The men have arrived. Her Majesty expects you to entertain them immediately." I groan internally, and follow Likker to the main courtyard. Percy, Luke, and Hatter are standing apart. Luke and Hatter are standing straight up, gazing at me with smiles, both a bit forced. Percy is staring at the flowers on the wall. When he sees me, he winks, grabs a flower, and presents it to me with a bow. I hold it in my hand carefully, like it might burst.

"Welcome. You three have been chosen for close courting with me, and during which you will be staying here." I pause a moment, letting it sink in. "You should know, one of you was chosen by the Queen, one by myself, and one by the Crown Prince." They look a little startled by this. "Likker, please take Lord Hatter to his quarters. I will show the other two to their rooms in a moment." Likker does as I say, leading Hatter away. Luke comes at me, furious. Percy walks a little distance away, were he can listen without looking like it.

"What is the meaning of this, Annabeth?" Luke is right in my face, but I refuse to back down. Over his shoulder, I can see Percy's back tense.

"What do you mean, Luke?" My voice is cool and calm.

"You know that I have no interest in marrying you. So why in Zeus's name did you choose me?"

I laugh. "You flatter yourself, if you thought I chose you. I told you, I only picked one of you."  
"So you…" Luke's eyes go cold as he realizes. "So you picked that air-head Jackson!" He turns around, but I grab his arm.

"Luke, you have no reason to be disturbed!"  
"Oh, yes I do! You are like a sister to me; I won't have you marrying some donkey-brain!"

"My life is my life, Luke! I will live it like I choose!" He wrenches his arm away from my grip. I go after him again, and he pushes me to the ground.

Faster than I could call for a guard, Percy is in Luke's face, standing over me, and he's holding his pen.

"Leave her be." Percy's voice is quiet.

"Out of my way, fool!"  
"I said, _leave her alone_." Percy's tone is menacing. A guard is headed towards us, and Luke's eyes flick to him, and back to Percy's face. With a snarl, Luke runs the other way.**  
**Percy watches him go for a moment, then turns around and helps me up, slipping his pen back in his pocket at the same time. He holds my hand for a second longer, looking me in the eyes.

"Did he hurt you?" Percy asks when he lets go of my hand. I twist my elbow up.

"I think I skinned my elbow."  
"Not your elbow."  
"Mother will be devastated." Though we are joking, the mood is melancholy.

"Tell me something, Annabeth." Percy's voice is low.

"What?"  
"Were you looking at my buttocks?"

And just like that, I'm laughing.

**Well. There goes my inspiration. The train is on fast mode! Really, I didn't plan any of this when I started writing. It was really fun to watch the words appear. **

**Anyway, please review and yeah, thanks for reading.**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm baaack! **

The next morning, I put my blue gown on, and did my face coloring. I went to breakfast humming.

Percy, Luke, and Hatter sat at the table, too. Luke seems to be civil, but Percy still gives him glances now and then to make sure he isn't going to blow.

Breakfast is awkward, with the men to scared to say anything in front of the Queen. After we've eaten, Hatter follows me to the ballroom.

"Princess, would you care for a dance?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes, sir." We dance awkwardly, since there is no music. He grabs me in a gross way, and leans in.

"You are a beautiful girl, Princess."  
"Let go of me!" I say. He grins and grips harder. Sighing to myself, I wrench his hands away, then bring my knee up in a very unlady-like way into his stomach. As he gasps for breath, I call the guards. They take him back to his rooms, where he is instructed to pack his things.

Luke has apparently decided that he isn't angry with me anymore, and he invites me on a stroll through the city. We don't actually stroll, we ride a carriage, surrounded by guards. We wave, and smile. For lunch, we go to a small café where the staff and other customers stare with open mouths. Luke leaves without paying, and I start to protest, but he forcefully pulls me back into the carriage.  
"So, Luke, what made you change your mind about this whole thing?"  
"Well, I thought to myself, and I doubted you would choose Lord Hatter, so then you would be left with that idiot Jackson, and then where would we be?" Luke grins devilishly.

Back at the palace, I take dinner in my room, instruct Likker not to let anyone inside my room, and change into my trousers and hooded tunic. Then I grab my ivory sword and the knife Luke gave me four years ago.

As I climb the vines down to the ground, I hear rustling on the ground, so I drop the last few feet, landing in a crouch. There is a figure on the ground, and they move toward me. Without thinking, I swing my sword at him. A sword appears, glowing bronze in the night, one that I recognize.

"Percy."  
"Annabeth. Trying to kill me, are you?"  
"You should have said something!"  
"Yes, it's obviously my fault you tried to kill me."  
"Where are you going?"  
"Where do you think? Chiron's."  
"Great." Without another word, I sheath my sword and run to the stables, Percy at my heels. I jump on a horse and gallop madly to Chiron's house.

Once there, I let myself in and go to the training room. A few seconds later, Percy comes in. Chiron clops into the room, eating a pastry. He jumps when he sees us.

"Gods! You could have knocked!"  
"Sorry," I say.

"Well, Perseaus, I didn't think I'd be seeing you again."  
"We're courting," Percy says. Chiron raises an eyebrow.

"I see. Now, tonight we will focus on history."  
"History?" Percy groans.

"Not that kind of history. The history that is doubted, that people think isn't real. The history filled with…"  
"Monsters." I breath out, earning a grim nod from Chiron.

"Correct. Now, a long time ago, there was nothing but earth and sky, or Gaea and Uranus. Some say that Uranus was actually Gaea's son, but who knows. Anyway, Gaea and Uranus gave birth to the titans, such as Oceanus, Hyperion, Coeus, Cronus, Crius, and Iapetus. Gaea encouraged Cronus to chop up his father, Uranus. Cronus did so, and Uranus died, or receded from this world, which is what some legends say. Cronus was then in charge, and he took Rhea as his mate. He had six children—Demeter, Hera, Hestia, Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus." Chiron stops for a moment, watching us, gauging our reactions. We are thoroughly shocked.

"Zeus killed Cronus as Cronus killed Uranus. But some legends say that Cronus still lives, waiting, wishing for revenge. He is coming for the gods, and their offspring.

***Gasp!* Well, that's interesting. So now Percy and Annabeth don't know if their parents are human…or god!(s)! Woah! **

**So I was researching a little bit, and one thing does say that Uranus might have just left this world instead of dying. So I thought, maybe Uranus will come back and put Gaea back to sleep! But probably not. Riordan probably has something way more epic planned.**

**So how many people knew Chiron's lecture? Review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Me again! Well, who else would it be? Hmm? **

I blink.

"Wait, what?" Chiron gives me a look for interrupting.

"Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon were the main three. Zeus's children were Athena, Hermes, Apollo, Artemis, and Dionysus. The rest of the Olympians were his siblings, but Aphrodite was born from the sea foam created by Uranus's chopped up pieces.

"I don't have to tell you what their powers focused on, you probably already know that."  
"Uh…so you're telling us that our parents are gods?" Percy's mouth is open.

"No. I'm telling you what they're named for," Chiron says with a wink. "Now, go back to your home and entertain yourselves." We leave in silence.

Back at the palace, I sit on the my bed and Percy sits next to me.

"Wow."  
"Yeah. I can't believe that. I mean, I'm assuming that Chiron meant what our parents controlling are their powers."  
"Duh, Seaweed Brain."  
"You got that? It sounded really jumbled in my mind."

I sighed. "You know you have to go back out the window, right? I've got guards everywhere."  
"Yeah. I know."

We sit there a while longer. Soon, my eyelids droop, and I slump against him and fall asleep.

"Princess Annabeth! Princess Annabeth, your presence is requested by Prince Malcom!" Likker shouts, jolting me awake. My head is on Percy's shoulder and his head rests on mine. Carefully, I move his head off mine and lean him back so his back is on the bed and his legs are still over the side. I tell Likker I'm coming to get him to stop yelling, scrawl Percy a scolding note, pull on a dress, and run to Malcom's private entertaining rooms.

"What, Malcom?"

"Annabeth! What's with the attitude?"

"Do you really want to know?" My voice is scalding.

"Uh, no. Just wanted to tell you that Mother doesn't feel good, so we have a day to do whatever we want."  
"Sweet! But did you really have to wake me up to tell me that?"  
"Careful, Annabeth. I've just had word that Prince Perseus isn't in his chambers."  
I turn red. Without another word, I turned on my heel and left.

Back in my room, Percy was still sleeping. I sit next to him on the bed.

Groggily, his eyes open.

"Huh?" He says.

"You drool when you sleep," I tell him.

"Thanks," he groans, sitting up and stretching. "So what are we doing today?" He asks.

"Whatever we want. Mother doesn't feel well."  
"Let's have breakfast."

"You have to go back out the window, Seaweed Brain."  
"Yeah, yeah, and change.

"See you at breakfast."  
"Bye." Percy leaves through the window and I fix my hair.

At breakfast, it's oddly quiet since Mother is gone. Percy and I are trying to comprehend what we heard last night, Malcom is trying to be king, and Luke is flirting madly—with a serving girl. She blushes and tries to ignore him, but he grabs her wrist and she pulls, head down, shameful. He twists, her face also twisting, but in pain. I stand.

"Luke!" My voice rings across the almost empty dinning room. Luke looks up, scowls, and lets go of the serving girl. I sit down, and the atmosphere relaxes.

But I don't. I don't relax when the serving girl breaths her thanks as she takes away my tray. I don't relax when Percy catches my eye and raises and eyebrow in concern. I definitely don't relax when Luke follows me out of the dinning room, with either a threat or an invitation to do what we did yesterday.

Percy gets there first.

"Princess Annabeth, would honor me to a day out on the streets?" Percy says with a bow.

"Um…Sure."

"Great! Go change." He whispers the last part.

"Why?"  
"So we can be normal!" Percy's eyes are lit up. He winks, turns on his heel, and leaves. I stand there for a second, confused by his enthusiasm and his wink. Luke catches up with me.  
"Annabeth? Would you care to join me on a day out?"

"Sorry, I have another engagement," I say, and then I push past him to my room, where I dress dark green tunic and leggings. Then I climb out the window and meet Percy.  
"What are you doing?" I ask, the question aimed at the hand behind his back. It comes out, covered in something brown. That's all I see before he flings it in my face.

It's mud. It's mud and it's all over my face and in my hair.

"You!" I gasp. I bend down, scoop some up, and throw it in his face. It splatters across his nose and eyes like a mask. I go to throw more, but he holds me down against the wall.

"We had to blend! Annabeth, stop, we needed to blend!" I stop fighting and scowl.

He sniffs me.

"You smell good."  
"Thank…you?" I say, confused.

"That's bad. We need to blend in, and poor people don't really smell all that great all the time."  
"Oh, dear."  
He makes us run the whole way to town, which I usually ride horseback. By the time we get there, we are both panting and sweaty. He sniffs me again, and wrinkles his nose.

"The smell of sweat and mud cover the smell of perfume and riches."  
"And what do riches smell like?"  
"Gold," He says as he pulls out a drachma. Calmly, he flips it to a beggar on the street. The beggar catches it and holds it up to the light, astounded. We continue on.

"I smell like gold?" I ask, confused.

"Yes. You've grown up with it, so you're accustomed to the smell. There,  
smell that girl there," He tells me, motioned to a girl about my age wandering the street.

I stroll past the girl, sniffing quietly. She doesn't even glance at me.

"So? What'd she smell like?"  
"Bread. Cheap perfume. And…ink."

"You have a good nose."  
"I try. By the way, how'd you know all that?"  
"The first time I left the castle, I was six. I had been planning for months. I wore plain clothes and had a brown satchel over my back. It was night, and I went to Poseidon City. I ventured into a back alley, and immedietly, and gang of thiefs pounced.

"They said I smelled of gold, and when they opened my satchel, they found nothing but a loaf of bread and a rock. They searched my pockets and found a two drachmas. The leader sniffed my skin. He mumbled that I smelled of gold, not just carrying it, and must have come to the conclusion that I was rich when a guard came around the corner. He spotted us and all the thieves ran. I went back to the castle and planned more carefully."  
"Wait, so you only took two drachmas on your first night out?"  
"The drachmas in my pocket were fake."  
"Then…"  
"They were baked into the bread."

I laughed at the geniusness of the plan.

"And the rock?"  
"My lucky rock, Fred." He pulls a rock out of his pocket.

"I found it on the street once, when I was 3, when I got lost on Parade Day."

I laugh again, imagining a toddler Percy wandering around and picking up a rock, naming it Fred.

We wander around the rest of the day. For lunch we went to the same place Luke and I went, except I pay double for the meal yesterday and the meal today.

That night, we sit on top of a large, flat rock on the castle hill and look over the city, candle lights twinkling in the windows and stars twinkling in the sky.

"Sometimes I just want to fly around and throw money to everyone. It really sucks, you know? The greed of our monarchs, the poorness of our citizens."  
Percy smiles at me.

"We could overthrow it. There's bound to be people out there who care, people with power."

"We should make an organization."  
"The…Association…of Royals Gettting Others too!"  
"For short, we could call it The Argot…or The Argo II."

**I am so proud of myself for doing that. I know it's not perfect, but still.  
Anyways, thanks for reviewing, please continue to do so. Hope you liked!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello everybody! I started another story! It should be on my profile, it's the prequel to another one of my stories. Read if you've got nothing better to do or you're interested or you want to be nice.**

After we returned to the castle, I took a long, long bath. Then I fell asleep.

The next morning, Likker is shouting again.

"What, Likker?!"

"Princess, you overslept and have about a minute to get to breakfast!"  
I sit up straight and throw my legs over the bed, getting up and picking out a dress. After slipping it on, it brush my hair madly and fly down the halls to the dining room, making sure to compose myself outside the closed doors. Then I push them open and take my seat as composed as I could.

"So glad you could join us, Annabeth." Mother's voice is sharp as it rings across the table.

"And I'm so glad that you are feeling better, Mother," I tell her with a sweet smile. She winces and touches her temple with her fingertips.  
"Malcom, kingly lessons today. Annabeth, it's hunting day today for you and your men, so I expect—where is Prince Luke?!" She says angrily, noticing that he's gone. She sends a guard to fetch him. The guard comes back with a Luke in his undershorts, and the serving girl from the day before in her shift, hastily put on. Luke is cocky and the serving girl is in tears. Mother stands, looking ready to murder. I realize that she missed the episode yesterday.

"Luke, what is the meaning of this?!"  
"Well, your Majesty, I don't like being rejected," Luke said, still cocky.

"You may go to your quarters. Stay in the whole day."  
"Are you grounding me?"  
"Yes." Luke was joking, but at her tone, his smile drops and he follows some guards out. Mother sits down, holding her head up with her fingertips. I take charge.

"Beckendorf, take this girl to the serving quarters. Stay with her today, alright? Make sure she is recovered." Charles Beckendorf gently offers her his arm and she takes it, sniffing a little.

I sit with a little surprise, not knowing I had stood up. Percy grins from across the table.

"You look just like your Mother." He says with a teasing grin.

I stick out my tongue out him.

"As I was saying, Annabeth, you may take Perseus out hunting today.

"Hunting?" Percy looks slightly queasy.

"Yes, why?" I am slightly concerned with his pale face.

"Oh, no…no reason."  
After I go back to my chambers, I put on a deep green tunic, black leggings with boots, and a braid to the side. Then I grab my sword and arrow quiver and head out, grabbing Percy on my way out.

We ride horses out to the royal hunting grounds, or the patch of woods that is on the castle property. Percy still looks sick.

"Percy, you ok?"  
"I, uh, really suck at archery."  
"That's alright, I can teach you!" I say, confidently. He doesn't look very reassured.

We leave the guards a little farther back, telling them that we will be fine, since we are armed to the teeth. They relax in the shade with a few hunting dogs. We only take two, my favorites, Mrs. O'Leary and Cebby. Cebby is named after Cerberus, Hades' dog.

Percy stops at one big clearing, but I shake my head and lead him on through a thicket of trees, so thick together, we can hardly get through. At one point, we have to climb a tree halfway up, switch sides, and climb down. But finally, we're there.

Percy lets out a low whistle.

We're in a decently sized clearing, with trees almost blocking the sun so only a few rays filter through. But the best part is, it's alive. It acts like it hasn't been disturbed by the hopelessness of the world outside. The birds sing and the squirrels gather nuts, and once I even saw a bear.

"It's…it's beautiful!" Percy says, with surprising softness.

"Yeah. My father and I used to come here."  
"What happened?"  
"He didn't like being king, so he…left. I haven't seen him since."

"I'm sorry."

I shook my head.

"Doesn't matter. Aren't I supposed to teach you how to hunt?"

"I know how, I just can't. Physically unable."  
"Not a thing, Seaweed Brain."  
"Sure it is, Wise Girl!"  
"Stop changing the subject. Draw your bow." He does as told, and I position him in front of a rock where I can stand and be as tall as him. I climb on the rock, lean forward slightly, and I massage his shoulders. "You need to relax. You're way too tense." He relaxes a teensy bit, and I move around to his arm and lift it up ever so slightly. "Always aim above the thing. Especially with distance. Okay, now shoot!" He releases the arrow and it hits a tree with a solid thunk. I clap. "That was close! About a foot from the squirell!"  
"I was aiming for the bird."  
"Where?" He points it out but I still don't see it. Sighing exasperatedly, he stands behind me and lifts my arm and uses my finger to point. His warm breath hits the back of my neck.

"See it now?" He asks quietly.  
"Yep."  
We stand there a few more seconds, then I clap, jarring him.

"Once more. You aimed to low."  
"You told me too."  
"No, I told you to aim higher."  
"Oh." I make him draw his bow again, and massage his shoulders again. Suddenly, I feel his muscles. They're _big_. And nice.

I shake my head and lean forward on my tiptoes to whisper in his.

"Okay, now…release!" He does and we watch the arrow fly. It would have hit the bird, but the bird flies up and away, chirping. Suddenly, all the birds fly up, a sudden whooshing of wings. Then they're gone. Percy turns around

"I missed."  
"It's okay. We'll wait until they come back."  
We stand there for a few minutes, inches from each other, staring into each other's eyes. Then, he comes forward, joining me on a short, round rock that makes me the same height as him. Now, I have to look up slightly to see him and he has to look down.

"Percy…" I say.  
"Sh. You'll ruin the moment."  
And he kisses me.

It was like nothing like I've ever felt before. His lips move against mine and mine against his. I melt into him, moaning slightly in the back of my throat. I feel him smile against my lips but stop when I put my hands through his hair, and he slides his around my waist. I feel myself falling forward and suddenly I'm lying on him and he's lying on the moss. We don't stop kissing until Mrs. O'Leary decides she wants some of the action. Percy stands and offers me his hand, and I accept it.

We gather our things without a word and trek back to the guards. We mount our horses and ride back to the palace, and I can't stop thinking it.

When we eat lunch together, quietly across the table, I can't stop thinking it.

That afternoon, during princess/queen lessons, I can't stop thinking it.

Through dinner and tea and lying alone in my bed, moonlight filtering through the window, I still can't stop thinking it.

I want to kiss him again.

***Sighs with happiness*. I am quite satisfied with that ending. That's better than I do most kiss descriptions, but I've been reading lots of fanfics about kissing (unintentionally. I just read them and kissing pops up), so I was ready for the kissing.  
Please review and tell me what you thought! **


	8. Chapter 8

**Yay! I'm so excited!**

I'm staring at the moon when it disappears. I sit up, startled. There's a figure in my windowsill, blocking the moon. He raps on the window, and I step forward hesitantly.

It's Percy. I open the window, forgetting that it opens outward, and push him of the ledge. I gasp and lean forward, seeing his hand holding onto the ledge. Another hand appears, followed by a head.

"Thanks, Annabeth."  
"I didn't mean to."  
"Yeah, yeah." He grins at me, and I stare at his lips before looking at the floor, blushing. He swings his legs in and looks at me.

"Annabeth, earlier…if that was out of place, I—"  
"No!" I don't want him to apologize. "No, it's just—I had a headache, is all. That's it."  
"Oh! So…you're better now?" Percy asks, shyly, and I realize, however cocky he acts, he's nervous too. I decide to play with him.

"Maaaaybe…" I say, drawing out the a. I sit by him on the sill, my legs crossed to the side.

"So…" He says, rubbing his neck.

"So!" I say. "Did you need something?"  
"Huh?" I roll my eyes.

"Well, obviously, you had a reason to climb the vines outside my room and knock on my window."  
"Um."

"Smart, aren't we?" Percy reddens and looks at the walls, the floor, anywhere but my face. I scoot forward. He gets redder.

"Question."  
"Hmm?" He still doesn't look at me.

"Why were you so cocky earlier, but so nervous now?"  
"Well, uh, before…it was daylight. And…well, you were…fully dressed."  
I look down at myself. I'm wearing a short—_short_\- nightgown that is see-through except for the extra layer of cloth over my privates. And it goes neckline goes pretty low, too.

I might as well be wearing just underwear.

"Aw, Percy's scared." He gets redder.

"Am not."  
"Then look at me."

He does, sees my smirk, and his eyes widen.

"You're _playing_ with me!"

I shrug innocently. "Maybe."  
"Oh, I see how it is! Two can play this game."  
Before I can ask what he means, he pulls off his shirt and pulls down his pants, leaving him in underwear that goes to the end of his fingertips when his hands down.

Suddenly I'm red.

"Aah—hah! Got you!" He smiles triumphly. Unable to let him win, I sigh, then stand, stretch, and bend down in front of him to pick up his clothes. When I turn back, his triumphant smile is gone and he's looking at the ceiling. I giggle to myself, and step closer to him, dropping his shirt and pants on the bed. He mutters to himself and inspects the ceiling some more.

Closer.

Closer.

Closer.

We're so close I can feel his breath on my face, fast and warm. I give a quick grin, take a deep breath, get on my tiptoes, and kiss him.

He's frozen for a second, then starts kissing me back. I put my arms under his, holding his bare back and feel his heartbeat against mine, alternating so one's always thumping. He puts his arms around my waist and lifts me up. We break apart for a second, smiling at each other. He lowers me so we're close again, and I close my eyes, waiting.

There's a knock at the door. My eyes fly open and I see exasperation in his. He sets me down, grabs his clothes, and steps into the closet while I answer the door.

It's a guard.

"Princess, excuse the intrusion, but I we heard voices. He peers in my room, and I hope it's dark enough so he can't see my flushed cheeks and annoyed expression.

"Hmm? You must have been mistaken. I was asleep."

"Sorry, Princess. Good-night."

I close the door and turn around. The closet opens to reveal Percy, dressed again.

"I'd better go," He says.

I nod, while wishing he didn't have to go. But before he goes to the window, he gives me one last kiss.

One last, short, lingering kiss, full of promise of more.

After he leaves, I lay in bed, Percy's taste on my lips.

**I think I'm wobbling on the line between ****_romantic_**** and just plain ****_cheesy_****. Oh, well. Haven't crossed it yet!  
Please review, tell me what you thought!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Am back! School starts Tuesday, so I'll be updating less often. ****L**

When I wake up the next morning, I dress and do my hair with Percy in mind. But when I get to breakfast, he isn't there.  
When we're almost done with breakfast, I panic. Percy loves breakfast, and he isn't here.  
When Mother realizes he isn't there, she sends a guard to check on him. The guard reports that he is gone, and no one has seen him since last night. I panic even more.  
"Annabeth? What do you know?" Mother's noticed my look.

"Nothing, I…the last time I saw him was last night."  
"Did he seem odd to you? What was the last thing he said to you?"  
"He seemed normal…he just kissed me good-night, and left."

The room is left in stunned silence. Then Mother beams, Malcom shakes his head with a grin at his food, and the servants mutter to themselves. Only Luke is unhappy.

"What? That bastard kissed you? I'll…I'll kill him!" He continues to mutter angrily until I stand.

"Luke. Thank you for being here, but I have made my choice—and it isn't you. If you'll kindly pack your bags, you may borrow a carriage to leave."  
"What? What does he have that I don't?"  
"He's heir." Luke stops in his tracks, glaring. This has always been a sore point for him. "Furthermore, he's nice and he sees me for me, not just Princess Annabeth, but Annabeth. You may go now." Luke glares even more and leaves.

"Oh, the wedding will be beautiful!" Mother says with a sigh. I panic.

"Mother, we can't have a wedding without a groom!"  
She sighs. "You're right. I'll organize search parties."  
"Mother, I want to help look, too! I can't just sit here, waiting for him to turn up!" Mother sighs again.

"Fine. You'll be disguised, I hope? And take a sword. Some people are barbarians." I laugh a little.  
"Yes, Mother."

*SWITCH POV*

After the assassins flee, I eye my companions suspiciously.

"Who are you again?"  
"I'm Jason," The handsome, muscular, blonde boy tells me.  
"Leo," the scrawny, black-haired boy tells me with a grin.

"And I'm Piper," I tell them. They look me up and down.

"Any idea what that was?" Jason asks.

"Not a clue. Leo?"  
"Nope."

"That" was a group of trained assassins that tried to kill us as we toured the Noble Crevice, trying to kill us. The tour guide was with them, which made it seem like it a long, planned plan.

Suddenly, the clattering of a carriage draws our attention. The door opens before it's stopped completely. A boy hops out, wearing a tunic with the hood up, covering most of his face, and leggings, an ivory sword strapped to his waist. He brushes past us, mumbling under his breath. When he's found out that we're the only ones here, he screeches at the sky.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS?" I do a double take, because it's a girl's voice.  
"Uh…Mister?" Jason asks, uncertain. He—she—whatever—turns.

"What?" Definitely girl.

"Are you…alright? Who…are you?"

She sweeps the hood off of her head, and long, curly, blonde hair falls down, splaying across her shoulders. Her gray eyes blaze angrily. She opens her mouth to say something, but is interrupted by another person stepping out of the carriage.

"Princess Annabeth Athena Lerina Malocorn Jensu, of the Royal family Chase of Athens."  
Annabeth sighs. "Butch." The man doesn't answer, just continues to observe the scene.

"And you all are?"  
"Are we getting all formal? I love formal!" Leo rubs his hands together. "Prince Leo Hephaestus Lukas Donovan Remable, of the Royal family Valdez of The Firelands."  
"Prince Jason Heron Thomas Dean Lokko, of the Royal family Grace of Zeusia."  
Leo snickers. "Bless you."

I sigh. "Princess Piper Aphrodite Mona Reen Lisa, of the royal family Mclean of the Land of Aphrodite."  
Annabeth scowls. "Lovely. I assume you've had an attempted murder?

"How'd you know?" I question.

"Easy. You boys have weapons and are pretty scraped up. Also, there's a dead guy," She says, pointing to the man laying at Leo's feet.

"Tour guide," he explains.  
"Alright. Come with me if you want to live." She gets back in her carriage. The three of us look at each other.

"I like not dying," Leo says with a shrug, following her. Jason looks at me.

"Let's go," He says, walking to the carriage.

I follow him.

***Gasps* Plot twist! I don't know how much I'll follow the book. I've got a small sketch, but not the whole painting.**

**…**

**Get it? It was like a pun or something of sorts. **

**Anyway, I feel kinda behind. I just read the Blood of Olympus chapter and saw the cover! Plus (I don't know how many people know this) but apparently Reyna and Nico will have their own chapters! Yay! I'm also scared for Jason, because for the last ones, the title refered to the first narrator, sort of. See?  
Who was the Lost Hero? Jason! The first narrator!  
Who was the Son of Neptune? Percy! The first narrator!**

**Who was Athena's daughter? Annabeth! The first narrator! **

**Who was Hades daughter? Hazel! The first narrator!  
Who's the Blood of Olympus? Idk, but Jason is the first narrator.**

**I know that some of them are Greek and some are Roman, but that's my take. **

**Please review, tell me thoughts and ideas!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello, people. My school started recently, and I won't be able to update as often. But yay, 10 chapters!**

After we reach Athena City, I instruct Butch to take us to Chiron's house, at the edge of the city. The three look at me reproachfully.

"Princess Annabeth, do you enjoy flaunting your legs? Because I know a fellow…" Leo trails off at my glare.

"But, really, Annabeth, why do you were trousers?" Jason's curious.

I sigh. "Because it's hard to fight in a dress. It's hard to ride a horse, hard to climb walls, hard to look scary in a dress." I seem to upset Piper, who's wearing a light blue dress. She stares out the window, not meeting anyone's glances. When we finally get to Chiron's house, she seems reluctant to go in. I'm about to lose my patience when Jason steps in and murmurs quietly to her. Then she follows me into the house.

"Chiron? Chiron, are you in here?" He seems to be outside, so I lead them out the back door. I call louder this time, and he clops up.

"Annabeth! How did it go? Who are these?"

"This is Jason, Leo, and Piper. They're all royals."  
"And…?"  
"And… he wasn't there." My voice cracks a bit, and Chiron leads me away from the trio.

"Any clue?"  
"Not one." Suddenly, my tough outside cracks. I slide to the ground, biting my lip to keep from sobbing.

"Annabeth, don't despair. We will find him, no matter what."  
"What if…what if he doesn't want to be found?"  
"He's a nice person, Annabeth. He wouldn't leave without warning." I nod, clinging desperately to the little hope I've got.

"Would you be so kind as to show Piper around the facilities? I'll show the other two." I give another nod. Chiron clops away. I take a deep breath, ready to gather my wits to reconstruct my tough, unbreakable shell. Before I can, or even get up, a hand appears. I look up to see it belongs to Piper. I hesitate a moment, then take it.

Carefully, I brush myself off, then turn to her. For an awkward second, it's quiet.

"Who's the boy?" She breaks it.

"What?" She's stunned me.

"Come on." An eye roll. "You were obviously looking for someone, and when you were all, upset, I could tell that it wasn't just…someone."  
I'm quiet for a few seconds, and she sighs.  
"Weren't you supposed to show me around?"

I do as she suggests, showing her the small cabins on Chiron's property, as well as the pond, mess hall, and point out the arena from a distance, since it's so far away. She seems surprised at the size of it.

I take her to the entrance of the cabin she's been assigned. "Well…this is your cabin…"  
"Uh, thanks." She turns to leave, and I go out on a limb.

"Percy."  
"Huh?" She turned around again.  
"You asked about him, and his name is Percy."  
"Oh."  
She stands silently for a second, then starts up again.

"You ever kissed him?"  
I nod.

"Multiple times?"  
Another nod. She smiles a sad smile, and motions me into her cabin.

"Come on. You can help me improve my wardrobe and tell me about your love life."

She sits on the bed, and I go to the wardrobe. It's full of everything we need.

"Yep, this is perfect. Every occasion, well, except for extremely formal. We always just stock as we need it."  
"You mean like ball gowns?"  
"Yeah. I know a really great store. The owner is really rude, but her dresses are beautiful. Anyway, the dresses here are for every day. Pretty simple, but beautiful." Piper nods.

"The leggings, trousers, tunics…those are all for practicality. You'll get used to it, it's pretty comfy and easier to move in."  
"Just like a the men's tunic and trousers?" Piper wrinkles her nose. I laugh.

"No, we definitely make it more feminine. You want to change now? Dresses tend to get in the way for what we do here." Piper agrees, and I give her a light golden tunic, black leggings, black boots, and a black belt. She comes out and twirls playfully.

"Nice! How do you feel?"

"Like I'm going to get in trouble for showing my legs so much." I laugh.

"There's just one last thing you need. A weapon."  
"Where do you keep those?"  
"In the weapons shed."  
"Where's that?"  
"It's attached to the arena." She groans.

"Well, at least I'll be entertained while we walk," She tells me with a meaningful glance.

"Alright. Where to start…Well, you know I'm a princess. My mother wanted an arranged marriage, and she arranged it behind my back. There was this huge ball, and I was introduce to like a thousand men. They ranged from 12 to 80 years of age. Percy was one of them. Luke and Lord Hatter, the other men I courted, were also among them.

"Every moment I spent with Percy was an adventure. Lord Hatter left almost immediately, and Luke left the day Percy was missing. That was…three weeks ago.  
"Anyway, for Luke and my's first date, we sat in a carriage and toured the city, waving around and not paying for lunch. I hated it. The next day, Percy took me out. We wore disguises, ran so we smelled, and splashed mud in each others faces. We talked a lot.

"The next time was a hunting trip. I showed him how to properly hunt, and he kissed me for the first time. That night, he snuck into my room. It was…so fun. He was so nervous, I was so nervous, but we played it cool and went for the kiss. The next morning, he was gone."

Piper's silent as we walk, digesting what I said. I go over my experience with Percy.

It's too much. It was so beautiful, and now it's over.

I sit down, hard, sobbing. Burying my face in my hands, I let go for a moment and let myself cry. Let myself wish for Percy so much my heart hurts and my lips yearn to feel his again.

**Tottering on that line again. But I don't care! It's fun!  
Some fun female bonding, plus a recap. Please review, I hope you enjoyed!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hi again!**

I can feel Piper hovering around anxiously, so I quickly clean my face off and stand up, giving her an apologetic smile.

"Sorry 'bout that."  
"It's alright. I guess I get it." I smile again, thankful for a friend.

I take a deep, shaky breath and gesture her forward.

"Any questions?"  
"Uh, yeah. What is this place? Why am I here."  
"Chiron has some odd ideas. There's a fake history he believes in, of gods. Coincidentally, they shared the same names as the current rulers, our parents. Chiron believes…that when the god's reign ended, they meant it to be this way, and they passed their powers down the line to select few. So, you'd have the power of Aphrodite. I'd have the power of Athena." Piper looks confused.  
"Chiron explains it better. The main point is, he thinks we're special. He thinks a lot of us are special."  
"Wow."  
"Yep. Here we are. Come on."

We go into the shed, and she glances around.

"This is pretty," She says. I snort.

"It's scary. It belonged to a girl named Helen, daughter of Zeus. The god, not the king. Do you want it?"  
"Yes."  
"Be careful. When it reflects things…well, they aren't really clear or normal." She seems unfazed.

"I'll take it. Do I still need a sword?"  
"Not if you don't want one."

I head off, and she stays with Jason to practice. Neither of us miss him ogling at her new outfit.

"Hi, Loover. Anything new?" I ask the butler.

"Yes."  
My heart almost stops. I've gone so long not knowing anything. Could this be…?  
"What is it?"  
"A note from our spies in Westia. They've found a man like him."  
"Can we go?"  
"Yes, but…it'll take about a couple weeks."  
"Fine. Begin preparations immediately."  
I run out to find Chiron to tell him. He agrees, telling me to take the three. I say ok, anything to go. Then I run to Piper and Jason, telling them to pack a bag, we're leaving as soon as possible.

"What happened?" Piper calls as I run to find Leo.

"They found him," I call over my shoulder. Her jaw drops.

Leo is dragon hunting in the woods, and I impatiently tell him that there are no dragons, get a move on. He goes to his cabin to pack, and I do the same, throwing a bunch of different tunics and leggings into a bag, along with a brush and some face colorings. My knife and sword go at my waist.  
I meet Leo, Jason, and Piper at Chiron's house. He sends us off with a sad smile.

We've got a large wagon that we're taking to the bay. From there, we'll board a boat that will take us to Westia.

"What information do we have?" I ask Loover.

"Well, he's apparently been making a bit of a fuss. A large bit of fuss. He and three others are to be executed publicly in about two weeks. If we make it on time, we should make it just before he is executed."  
"Typical Percy," I mutter under my breath, and I can't help but grin. Only he would make such a fuss that he would have to be publicly executed.

That night, we reach the docks and board the ship. We do get our own rooms, something odd for a boat.

I hope for once I can sleep soundly, now that I have some hope.

Off course, my luck doesn't hold out. I wake up screaming in the middle of the night.

With nothing better to do, I head to the deck. The night air whistles and the waves are calm. Calm enough, in fact, that I am able to distinguish the difference between water lapping on the sides and the splash of oars. I draw my sword and sprint to Piper's quarters.

"Piper! Intruders! Where're the boys?" I gasp. She sits straight upright and throws the covers off. I let her lead the way to their room. After hustling them awake, we head back to deck. It appears completely fine.

"Maybe you imagined it, Annabeth. Can I go back to bed?" Leo asks. I start to reply, but the knife at his throat chokes the words.

"Good. Don't say a word, Annabeth. Nor you, Jason, or you Piper. Dear, Piper. You are helpless, aren't you!" The woman with the knife giggles. Piper's nostrils flare angrily.

"Go ahead and slit his throat. He doesn't mean anything to me," She says calmly. The woman seems surprised.

"Oh, really?"  
"Really. You'd better leave, though. Before I get angry. You and your little men." As she says it, two men appear behind Leo. I calculate quickly, figuring the odds.

"Leave. Before you feel our wrath." Piper sounds convincing.  
"Hmm…"  
"_Leave_," Piper whispers. The woman relaxes for a second, and I strike. The woman drops her knife after mine hits her wrist. Jason takes on one of the men, Piper the other.

"Go and tell your little friends that we won't stand for it anymore. Go tell them that we are making a difference, that it's going to change." She jumps back, calling her boys back with her. They hurry to the boat and row away. Piper has claimed one of the boy's sword, faintly blue, giving the impression of ice.

"Dang, she was beautiful," Leo sighs. I smack him.

"It's getting worse," I say with a sigh.

"What? Leo's hopelessness?" Jason asks.

"No. Crime. If only…Hey, have I told you guys about the Argo II?"

**There's that chapter. I'm not entirely satisfied with it, but I wanted to post it. Review!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Heyo! I'm excited to write this! **

After explaining the Argo II to the three of them, they agree to join the Argo II. That makes five members, all royals.

It's almost dawn, so we stay up, enjoying the feel of wind on our faces. Eventually, though, they get hungry and leave for breakfast. I stare at the sea. Poseidon's realm. Poseidon's son. Suddenly it all blurs with tears, which I wipe away furiously. Crying won't help Percy, I tell myself furiously. You have to keep your head to save him. Taking deep breaths, I calm myself and focus on being strong. It's hard, but I do it.

wwwwwwwwwwwww

After a couple of weeks of sea voyage, we've finally arrived at Westia. I leave the boat first, stumbling a little but pushing it down. Leo and Jason almost fall, and Piper sways.  
"Come on!" I impatiently beckon them forward.

"OI! READ ALL ABOUT TODAY'S EXECTUTION OF PERSEUS JACKSON, ONE OF OLYPMIA'S CITIZENS!" A newspaper vendor shouts. I approach the stand wearily.

"He's being executed? For what?"  
"Crimes. Crimes not told to the public. Paper, miss?" I purchase one and read the front headline. When the three catch up to me, I fill them in.

"Percy is being executed today, in a little while. Along with another prince and princess."  
"I thought it was supposed to be four of them?" Piper asks.

"It doesn't say that here. Loover must have been informed wrong."

"When are they being executed?" Leo pants as we run to the execution site.

"Um… at 3 of the clock?" I consult the paper, then ask the time. When I hear it, I run faster.

"What's the matter?" Piper pants.

"It's in three minutes!" We run faster. We finally reach the site.

"…Sentanced to death for causing an uproar, and these two assisted him. Any opposed, speak now…" We're too far away from where they are. I don't see Percy yet.

We're running fast enough to part the crowd. Faster and faster I push myself, until the raised wooden platform for hanging comes into view. Then I stop so suddenly, I almost fall over and Leo runs into me.

"No objections? Then, hang them!"

"WAIT!" It's lucky Piper shouted, because one, my vocal cords didn't work. Two, executioners where just about to open the floorboards to let the figures hang.

"And who are you?"  
"I am Princess Piper Aphrodite Mona Reen Lisa, of the royal family Mclean of the Land of Aphrodite, and you are about to kill a prince!"  
"What? But—" He's cut short, because Percy's out of his bonds and flying towards me, and I fly to him. We crash and kiss, and I feel like my heart has restarted.

Percy pulls away. "Hi, Annabeth." Without warning, I grab his wrist, fling him to the ground, and crouch over him. He regards me with amusement.  
"If you ever—ever—pull a stunt like that again, Seaweed Brain, I'll—" He smirks.

"Missed you too, Annabeth."

Suddenly, my tears, my hurt, and my fear all disappear. Percy's back. Everything will be okay.

"What—how did you get out of your bonds?" The scrawny, blonde man that delivering their executing looks mad.

"You were about to kill a prince," I say calmly, standing up and helping Percy up. He brushes himself off cockily, then regards the man.

"Octavian, I've told you thousands of times, I am a prince. Those two are two of your own royals who sided with me."  
"Oh, yes? And who're you're accomplices?"  
"This is Princess Annabeth, daughter of Athena."  
"Hmph. Well, you still have to die."  
"And how will you keep it silent? You'd have to kill everyone in this city, maybe this continent, to silence the word that I was dead. And you since you can't do that, word will eventually reach my father. And my father isn't a very forgiving type. War will reach you. Olympia will stand together, and Olympia is bigger than Westia. We will win and claim your lands. All you have to do is let us go." Octavian hesitates, and the other two people on the platform break free of their bonds and run. I follow, Percy behind me and Piper, Jason, and Leo behind them.  
"Who're your friends?" Percy shouts as we run.  
"Leo, Jason, and Piper. They're royal, too."  
"Great! Did they join the Argo II?"  
"Yeah! Hey, who're yours?" I bat away an arrow from a soldier with my sword.

"Hazel and Frank. Royals. A couple."  
"Nice!"  
"How's Luke?"  
"Gone! I haven't seen him for two months!"

Percy almost stops in shock, but I tug him forward.

"Are you serious? I'm the last one?"  
"Yep!"  
"Sweet!"

We finally make it to the boat and sprint up the gangplank.

"Captian! Go, go, go!" I shout. He looks startled, but he yells instructions. The crew runs around, unfurling sails and pulling in the gangplank.

"Wait!" A girl in purple robes is streaming down the street. "Percy!"  
He runs forward and puts out his hand, and she jumps and catches it. He pulls her up and quickly lets go of her hand.

"Annabeth, this is Reyna. She's the reason I got out. Reyna, this is Annabeth."  
Reyna gives me a nod. "I've heard a lot about you," She says.

**Ugh! Bad ending. **

**I bet none of you know what this chapter's inspiration came from!  
No, really. You have NO IDEA!  
Review!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello again! I couldn't believe you guessed where I got the inspiration for last chapter! Genius!**

Percy walks away from me, and grabs Reyna's hand. He spins her around, cups her face in his hands, and plants a kiss on his lips. My heart catches in my throat, but before I can do anything, a figure jumps over the side of the boat and thrusts his sword into Percy's chest. Percy turns to me, one expression clear on his face.

Blame.

And that's when I scream. I scream so loud that I wake myself up…

I'm sitting in my bed, sweat pouring down my face, mixing with the tears. My heart is hammering in my chest, going really fast.

"Annabeth!" My door is thrown open and Percy stands there, in his underwear, sword in hand. He seems confused to see me there. "What's—what's the matter?"

I'm confused for a second. For the past weeks that Percy's been gone, every time I had a nightmare, I would be alone, trying to convince myself that he was ok, that I wasn't alone, that he would still be with me.

But now Percy's here. He looks ready to kill anyone in the way.

"Just—just a bad dream." I manage. His face softens and he puts his sword away, coming close.  
"Annabeth, come on." He grabs my arm and pulls me through the ship. We go down a few levels, finally making it to the part of the ship that would store animals. He sits down, and I sit with him.

"Just a bad dream?"  
For a second, I try to hold on to my tough act, to the Annabeth that is unfeeling, unbreakable, unloving. But those sea-green eyes bore into me, reaching into my soul…

And I lose it. I break down completely for the first time since before Percy left. He holds me, as I sob and sob until I have no tears.

"Sorry…" I murmur to him.

"Don't be." He smooths my hair back over my head and kisses the top. "I'll always be there for you, Annabeth. No matter what. I'll always be your shoulder to cry on, or your arms to hold you, or your lips to kiss. Whatever you need."  
I consider this for a moment, then lean forward and place my lips so I can almost feel his—almost, but not yet.

"This is what I need now," I breath against his lips. I feel him smile, and then one of us leans forward—I don't know who—and we're kissing.

He kisses me with a fire, with a yearning, and with love. I kiss him back with the same. We fall sideways, and I roll over him, bracing myself over him. I kiss him until my lips go numb, finally pulling away. He grins at me, and I can't help but smile.

"I missed you Seaweed Brain." He doesn't reply, just repositioning us so we're leaning against the back of the boat, me leaning across his chest so his chin is a few inches above mine. Within a few minutes, his warmth and the rocking of the boat lull me to sleep.

**Yes, short, I know. But I didn't want to end up crossing my little line. I actually think my toes are over—WARNING! CHEESINESS! **

**Anyway, please review!**


	14. Chapter 14

**I'm baaaaack! Hope you had lovely times, even if you weren't with me.**

"You are in so much trouble," A voice says, waking me.

"Huh?" I blink. I've slid down Percy's chest until my head is on his lap, and he's got his hands curled in my hair as he looks around in bewilderment.

"Frank?" He asks. I turn to the voice to see Frank, looking at us like we've just declared that we're criminals for life.

"Oh, we just fell asleep," I tell him. He isn't reassured.

"Everyone is looking for you!"  
"Well, we're engaged. We're going to sneak off for romantic adventures every now and then. Get used to it."  
Frank grumbles as he heads off, and I turn to Percy.

"S'fun."  
"Oh, yeah. Such fun to get told we're going to get in trouble for spending time with your husband to be. People," I mutter angrily.

He looks at me, smiling.  
"What?"  
"You're cute when you're angry."  
I mutter some more, and move to stand up, but he grabs my hand and pulls me back down, carefully grasping my face. "You're always beautiful, no matter what the mood," He says with a kiss.

This greatly improves my mood.

When we go up, our friends are a little worried, but mostly relieved.

We gather at the large table fitted into one of the lower decks, planning our next move.

"So, we're going to stay together and, like, fight crime and poverty?" Leo asks.

"Yes," I tell him. "Now, before we do anything, there's one important think Percy and I have to do."  
"Break up?"  
"Rent a camel?"  
"Make love?"  
"Find—wait, you haven't?"  
"We have to?"  
"SHUT IT!" I yell after they start arguing about Percy and my love life. "We have to get married."  
Shocked silence.

"Are you serious? No way are we going to be allowed to do whatever we want then!" I shoot Leo another look.

"I've been searching for Percy for months. My mother is going to be livid. She made it clear that as soon as he was found, we were to be married."  
"But…isn't Percy heir?"  
"Yes."  
"So you'll be queen of Oceana?"  
"Yes."  
More shocked silence.

"Well, how many of you are heir?" Piper, Percy, and Hazel raise their hands.  
"So eventually, they're all going to be married. And ruling a kingdom. And I'm guessing that some of us are going to be right there beside them. So stop complaining."  
"Complaining? Who's complaining?" Piper sighs. "I can't wait to start planning it!"  
"Uh, yeah. But after the wedding?"  
"We could travel for the Argo II!"  
"Great. Perfect. Can we go cuddle now?" I look at Hazel, who blushes. "I mean, can we go now and do whatever?"

"Yeah, let's go."  
Percy and I go up on the deck to practice sword fighting, and I lose myself in the whirl. Finally, the feel of my blade clattering down and his against my neck bring my surroundings back into focus. I notice a crowd of sailors and our friends, placing bets and yelling.

"Surrender, Annabeth," Percy says. I turn so our faces are close, close enough to feel his heat.

"Percy…" I whisper. I feel the tension loosen in his body; his eyes lose the focused, hard look in them.

"What?"  
"Don't loose your focus."  
Then I've brought my foot back, kicking his knee so he lets go of me. I duck carefully under his sword and roll across the deck, scooping up my sword as I do. I grin cockily at him as we circle, and he pouts, so I lung, bringing my sword toward his middle. He moves to block, and I switch goals quickly—twisting my sword with his so he drops it. In one smooth move, I swing at his hand reaching for Riptide, level my sword at his neck, and bring his up with my other hand.

"Surrender, darling."  
"Never!" He charges, ducking under my swords and hitting my with his shoulder, knocking the breath out of me and hoisting me up on his shoulder. Then he straightens, and I'm hanging over his shoulder.

"PUT ME DOWN!"  
"Why? I like this."  
"Percy!" I drum on his back with the sword hilts.

"Who is it?"  
I narrow my eyes, and slither back a few inches so my behind is level with his face, and wiggle towards him. When he's distracted, I throw my weight to the other side making him lose his grip and drop me. I roll away and come up standing. He scowls at me, his face still red. I giggle slightly, and his eyebrows lift a fraction of an inch.

"Is that how it is? We playing dirty, everything we've got?"  
"Oh, yeah. Bring it, Seaweed Brain."  
"You're on, Wise Girl."  
He charges again, and I sidestep and swing at his back. He ducks, pops up, and steps closer before I've recovered. He's so close…  
"I know what you're doing."  
"Doesn't mean you'll be able to stop me." He leans in, and I accidently half-close my eyes, and he grabs Riptide away.

Anger shoots through me. He won't beat me today.

I charge with a yell, vaulting off a random barrel and shooting towards him. His face is slightly panicked for a second, then he dodges and pushes me further, into Jason's chest. We roll, and I end up on top, looking at him. I bat my eyelashes.

"Big scary man after me. You help?" I don't get to hear his answer because an arm snakes around my waist and tugs, pulling me back into the circle of men. Percy deposits me in a heap. I groan and roll onto my back.

"Why?"  
"No crashing into anyone but me. You, Sparky, are on." Percy points his sword at Jason, who looks over his shoulder like he's talking to someone else.

"Who, me?"  
"Oh, yeah, you."  
Jason shrugs and draws his sword. "Ok!" He charges. I barely have time to roll out of the way before he clashes with Percy. They spar for a few seconds, then draw back. Percy swings, Jason ducks, I grab Percy's arm and pull him off balance, and Jason kicks him in the chest, sending him flying—right into Piper.

"Oh dear." Jason goes pale.

"JASON! ARE YOU SENDING PEOPLE FLYING INTO ME?"

"Uh…"  
Piper draws her sword and joins the fight.

Eventually, the boys have offended their female allies so much we switch teams, girls vs boys. They convince Frank and Leo to join the fight, so we get Hazel and Reyna.

Now, Leo might be a genius, but at swordplay? Not his best quality.

Hazel decides to chase him around, so I charge Percy. He's startled, and I disarm him quickly and drive him back into a group of men.

"Guard him." They obediently hold onto his arms and legs, ignoring his protests. I run back into the fight, where Piper and Jason are fighting and Reyna and Leo are playing I'll-swing-you-scream. Leo does his part beautifully, and Frank and Hazel are sparring at the edge of the boat. I give a sigh and launch myself at Jason. He's pretty good, fighting two at once, but not good enough. We soon knock his sword away and propel him to the edge of the boat. Hazel disarms Frank and sends him into the men. Finally, Leo's the last one. He whimpers and scurries into captivity.

"We wi—" I am about to pronounce our victory, when Percy whirls away from his guards, whips my sword out of my grasp, and stands with his back to the sea.

"Let them go."

I give a smirk, wink at Piper, and hook my legs around Percy's and pull us backwards, into the sea.

**I hope you liked! I tried to put some fighting in, but I'm not the best at it. Please review!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Yay! Fifteen chapters!  
**The wind whistles by our ears and whips through our hair, and we keep falling, falling towards the sea.

_FLOOM! _When we hit, everything is a mass of blue and bubbles, and Percy. I can feel Percy but I can't see him.

We surface and gasp for breath, and I'm gasping with laughter. He glares at me.

"What was that for?"  
"I felt like it."  
"It's cold!"  
"You're a baby."  
He glares again and splashes me. I take a breath, go under, and grab his legs to pull him underwater. We wrestle for a bit, then go back up for air. I playfully flick water at him, and he growls, "Get over here," and reaches out and pulls me toward him. I brace myself for a dunking, but instead he presses his lips to mine and pulls away, leaving his lingering taste on my lips.

Then he dunks me.

I'm not ready and inhale a mouthful of water, and he's still holding me under, so I thrash around and pummel him. He lets me up, I spit water in his face, take deep breaths, and glare at him. His expression is soft.

"I'm sorry, Annabeth."  
"Whatever." A rope is let down for us, and I climb it.

For the rest of the day, I try to avoid Percy's baby seal looks in my direction, or the sad, longing ones. I spend the day with Piper and Hazel, giving them swordfighting tips and chatting about the Argo II. We eat dinner together, and Percy continues to shoot longingful glances in my direction. I try, hard, to ignore him, and it becomes a battle with myself to not succumb to my feelings for him. I mean, I already have, but the ones that tell me to slide over the table, into his lap, hold his face, and kiss him, kiss him until I'm numb and he's numb, and still kiss—

"Annabeth? You're kissing your spoon."  
I jerk my spoon away from my mouth and glare at Leo. He shrugs, innocently. I risk a glance at Percy, and notice he's laughing.

Well. No kisses for him.

I go to bed soon after that, and lay in bed, thinking of his green eyes, which are only two cabins over, and his nice, reassuring smile, and-

Fine. I throw the covers off my legs and sneak out of the cabin, down to his, and poke my head in his cabin. He's sound asleep on the bunk. I creep up to him and climb in, making sure not to wake him. I decide to get out before he wakes, and he'll never know.

"Annabeth?"  
I open my eyes to the sound of his voice, and see him looking at me with an amused grin on his lips.  
"Hmm?" I'm not awake yet, and it doesn't help that he's shirtless.

"You're in my bed."  
"Yeah."  
"Why…?"  
"Because I wanted to."  
"Ah."  
We lay in silence, and I remember not to long ago, when his shirtless presence made my almost loose my cool. I am congratulating myself when he squirms closer, and his chest presses against my arm. I freeze, and he wiggles away, drawing breath to apologize. I almost panic at the thought of that, so I turn to him and stop his lips with the most obvious thing.

My lips.

He starts kissing me back pretty fast, and soon I'm living the daydream I had at dinner—my lips are numb from happiness.

I finally have to breath, and I break away, gasping. He grins at me, and I shoot him a teasing glare. He slides closer, and braces himself above me. I reach up, wrap my hands around the back of his neck, and kiss him some more. He goes limp, falling on me but still somehow managing to kiss me. I wrap my arms and legs around him and prepare to roll without breaking our connection, when the door opens.

"Percy, Annabeth's—oh." Piper stops in the doorway, observing us with slight satisfaction. "Sorry. Didn't mean to interrupt." She smirks and turns on her heel, slamming the door shut behind her. Percy looks at me.

"Darn. The mood is ruined."  
"Oh. I'm sorry you feel that way."  
"Don't you?"  
"Never."

**A bit short, I know, but I got tired of just dragging it out. Hope this was satisfying! Review, please. I appreciate it!**

**Here's my line:  
Romantic**

* * *

**Cheesey**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hey all! Here's the chapter you wanted. Probably. Hopefully. **

The next morning is a little weird, meaning the glances we get from the crew when we leave the cabin together. When we go up on deck after breakfast, the view is a little different. There's green in the distance, and we're approaching fast. When I ask the captain about it, I'm informed that we are out of water, so we are using the wind as well as the rowers. When Percy hears this, he volunteers himself and the other royals for rowing duty. Then head down, leaving me with nothing to do except bother the girls.

"So, Piper…you and Jason?" We've climbed up in the rigging, and are in front of one of the sails, so it isn't too windy.

"So, you and Percy?" She shoots back.

"Um, obviously," Hazel laughs. Piper sighs.

"It's really not anything…I mean, I want it to be something, but it's just not. I keep trying, and he just…I don't know."  
"Want us to persuade him?" Reyna offers. Piper gives a laugh.

"No, I don't want him to think I'm desperate."  
"Oh, we can be sneaky," I reassure her. "He'll never know what hit him…in fact, I'm taking lunch down to the four of them, I can inquire for you."  
"Don't be obvious," she warns me.

"Oh, I won't. While I'm gone, interrogate Hazel about her and Frank.

Hazel goes bright pink as I climb down, stopping at the kitchens for the lunches that I take to the bottom of the boat. It's dark, sweaty, and smells gross. I'm wearing a bright yellow tunic today, and white leggings, so I stick out. The sailors whistle and laugh, blowing kisses to me. I can't hold back a smile as I make my way to the back four benches where Percy, Jason, Frank, and Leo each have their own oar to row. Leo's grumbling and grunting, taking a bunch of breaks. The other men are sweaty, but faring better. I drop each lunch on the benches next to them, plus a quick kiss for Percy and a wink, then sit next to Jason. He looks surprised.

"Hey, Annabeth."  
"Hi, Jason. How's the rowing going?"  
"Oh, same old, same old, I guess. How's the upper world?"  
"Oh, I'm glad you asked. I wanted to let you know something."  
"And…"  
"It's about Piper."  
"Oh."

"See, I'm fairly sure she likes you, but, well, she doesn't like waiting. So she's been flirting it up with a few different men. Right, men?" I yell the last part, and get a chorus of whoops, cheers, and laughs. Jason looks like he's swallowed a bug.

"So—"  
"You should make your move soon, buddy. If you don't, well, then you can say good-bye to her."  
"Ok. Yep. Got it." I get up and walk over to Percy, hands on my hips.

"You gonna take a break for me, mister?" Percy gives grin and sets his oar over. I swing my leg over his lap and plop down. I hear rustling as the sailors turn around to watch.

"They're watching," Percy murmurs to me as we touch forheads.

"I don't care. I miss you." I punctuate every sentence with a kiss.

"Yep. But I'm sweaty."  
"Well, I'm yellow."  
"You're—" He glances at my tunic. "Oh."  
"Oh is right. Give me a proper kiss, no more pecks."  
"Much obliged," He whispers, putting his hands on my hips to slide me back slightly. I give a giggle in anticipation, and he smiles at me, and leans forward. I lean back, and I'm laying on his lap, head hanging over. I wrap my legs around his back to keep from falling, ignoring the cheers. Then, slowly, he brings his face right to mine, kissing me. I kiss him back, feeling like I haven't for years. He sits up, I sit with him, and run my fingers through his hair, making it stand straight up with sweat. We break off and lean foreheads again, smiling.

"You smell," I mumble, tracing his cheek softly with my finger.

"I noticed," He says, laughing his laugh that I feel, since I'm so close.

"I have to go."  
"I have to get back to work."

Despite our words, we sit there for a few more seconds. Then, with a sigh, I stand up and get off his lap. He looks at me with his baby-seal eyes, and I laugh.

"I'll see you later," I say, blowing a kiss. "Piper will collect your trash in about ten minutes, so eat up." I walk out, ignoring the sailors asking for their turn, feeling only his eyes on my back.

I climb back up the riggings and sprawl out, moaning, my eyes closed.

"What's a matter, Annabeth?"  
"I love him."  
"But…"  
"But we can never be together!"  
"He's at the bottom of the same boat you're on!"  
"So far away…"  
"You're being a little dramatic."  
"I don't care! I want him!"

"Do you want to hear what Hazel thinks of Frank?"  
"Yes…no…I don't care!"  
"Well, she likes him. He likes her. They can't get a relationship going because they're too nervous that it'll mess up their friendship."  
I open my eyes and sit up.

"This is intriguing! Well, Hazel, my advice is: go down there, tell him you love him, no matter what, and look him in those beautiful, sea-green eyes, and kiss him, and—"  
"Annabeth."  
"Hmm?"  
"Frank. Not Percy. Frank."  
"Don't say that!"  
"What?"  
"Not Percy…"

"Ugh, you're infected with love. And you smell like sweat."  
"His sweat!"  
"What did you tell Jason?"  
"I told him…I told him that I thought you liked him, but you didn't want to wait, and had been flirting it up with other men on this ship. The sailors down there all agreed. So then I said he'd better make his move soon. Then I got up, and told Percy to put his oar down, and I got on his lap, and then I told him—"  
"Annabeth, please keep your romance life to yourself."  
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Then I told the four of them to eat up their lunches, because Piper would be down in about ten minutes."  
"What?"  
"Jason looked hopeful."  
"Gah."

I continue to lay, moaning, until Piper goes. Then I sit up and grumble. She comes back, cheeks flushed.

"Well?" The rest of us demand, all at once.

"Well… I got the trash. Then Jason asked me to sit, and I sat. He told me what you said, and then he said…he said…please stop flirting with other men, because he's trying to get his nerve up, but the flirting isn't helping. Then I said hurry up and get your nerve up, and he said...I already did. And then he kissed me." We ooh and aah, and she blushes. "So then, when we were done, the sailors were hooting at the top of their voices. Could you hear them?"  
"Maybe. They seem to like romance," I comment.

"After they had quieted down, I went over Percy to tell him the state you were in. He's basically doing the same thing, and has bits of wood stuck in his hair because the others were tired of listening to him moan. He tried to convince me to take his place so he could charm you, but I declined. Then he moaned some more, and told me to tell you that he loves you, and will come as soon as he could. I said she probably says the same thing. He smiled, and said I don't suppose you'd give her a kiss for me, and I told him no, that'd be weird. He sighed, and told me to remind you of that day in the forest, after he missed the bird…? Annabeth?"  
"Oh, Percy!" I moan, fall back, and throw my arm over my face.

"We're pulling into docks! Oh, gosh, Annabeth, look!" I peek out from under my arm, then move it so I can get a better look.

And gasp. "She wouldn't!"  
I look again, and it's still there.

The welcoming party. From my mother. The whole city. The whole entire city, and possibly more, is at the docks, waving and cheering. For Percy and me.

Lovely.

**I had SO MUCH fun with this chapter! I hope the length is acceptable…as in, it had better be! This is the longest chapter I've written for this story! Chapter 6 came close, but this one beat it by 21 words…yeah. Review, please.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hello readers! I missed you. Or something.**

**To answer someone's question: No, I am not British. I'm American. :-)**

The ship docks, and the cheering gets louder. I glare at the city, biting my lip. The sailors come up from below, and I raise myself on my tiptoes, looking for Percy. I see him and cry out, running to him. He catches me and I bury my face in his neck.

"Percy, look what she did."  
"I see. We'll be alright."  
"I don't want a big parade."  
"But you've got one," He says, gentle, stroking my back. "And you'll be fine."  
"I'm wearing pants. She'll be horrified."  
"You'll start a new fashion."  
"It's already a fashion."  
"You'll make it bigger. The city adores you."

"Fine," I say, exhaling on his neck. I come out and peer at him. "You smell."  
"I noticed. Do you care?"  
"Nope."  
"Neither do I. Let's go." Taking my hand, Percy leads me off the boat. The crowd parts automatically for us, still cheering. A few throw flowers, one of which Percy catches and tucks behind my ear, causing even more whoops. He laughs, coaxing a small smile from me. Seeing it, he spins me around, dipping me like we're dancing. Right there, in the middle of the street, we've stopped. He's looking down at me, laughing slightly, and then he kisses me. It's soft, happy, and the world melts away.

"Move it, lovebirds!" Leo shouts. Percy pulls away for a second, sticks his tongue out at Leo, and comes back to me. We stay there, just kissing, until Percy pulls away roughly, standing. He's still holding me by the waist, and I glare at him.

"I almost fell. What a spectacle that would have been."

I roll my eyes at him teasingly, and we start walking again, hand in hand. The crowd members cheer happily, asking for more. Once or twice we oblige.

But eventually, we reach the end. My mother and Malcom, standing on a raised platform, on thrones. Well, Malcom's on the edge of his thrown, and seeing me, he throws himself off, laughing. He catches me in a hug, and I hug him back.

"I missed you, Annabeth!" Malcom says. "Imagine that!"  
"Well, thanks. I love you too." We reach the platform and I climb on it, standing in front of Mother.

"Welcome back, Annabeth. I see that your searches were not for naught."  
"Indeed, Mother. I found Percy, as well as a few others."  
"Welcome, all. Please accompany us back to the castle for a celebratory banquet. Oh, and we must discuss wedding plans."  
She stands and turns around, climbing down the stairs and into a carriage. I stare after her, making a small whining sound in the back of my throat. Percy laughs, kissing the top of my head and pulling my hand along. I follow along somewhat grumpily.

We reach the castle, and I have assistance taking off my clothes and running a bath. I don't let the attendants help me bathe, though. I send them out and relax in the warm water.

It turns cold soon, and I reluctantly. Carefully, standing, pulling a dress on. I leave off my sword, knowing Mother won't approve. When I start to walk, the brush of leg on leg scares me so much, I pull on a pair of black leggings under my dress. I then poke my head out to the familiar presence of Likker.

"Do I have to dress for the banquet?"  
"Yes, Princess. Would you like me to send in some maidens?"  
"No! I mean, no thank you, Likker. That won't be necessary. Thank you, though."  
I head back into my room and throw open my wardrobe doors, studying the contents. I keep Percy in mind, imagining what he'd like.  
I look at one dress, in the back. It's different than the simple dresses I'd usually wear. It's sea-green, strapless, with a small V on the top, exposing more than normal. It's nice and flowy. I'm in the middle of fingering it when there's a knock on my door. I open it to see Piper, Hazel, and Reyna. Piper's almost in tears.

"We have no dresses, no face colorings, and no hair things!"  
"Well, come it! I've got plenty of everything!"  
They pour in, studying my dresses. Piper sees the sea-green dress and yanks it out.  
"Annabeth, you have to wear this!"  
"Oh, but—"  
"No buts. It's out. You were thinking about it."  
"I know." I take my dress and watch them sift through my other ball gowns that I've collected.

Piper picks a light gold dress with a slit down the side, letting out her leg. Hazel picks a simple dark blue dress, with a twisty top. Reyna picks a light purple dress with small straps and silver lace across the top.

We raid my shoes next, then do our hair, then our face colorings. When we're done, we stand in front of the mirror.

"We look marvelous," Piper remarks. And we do. It also helps that I've stuck a small, silver dagger in my waistband and Piper's got a knife in a thigh sheath that you can see.  
Likker tells me that we have some time, so we sit straight in chairs, chatting slightly about random stuff. When it's finally time to go, we use the balcony stairs instead. There's one way glass, so we can see the crowd's reactions. More importantly, the boys. Reyna descends first, and gets a chorus of applause and whistles. I spy Malcom staring.  
Hazel goes next, and Jason and Percy look indifferent—happy, smiling, but not stunned. But Frank is smiling so big that I think his face will split in two. Piper starts to go, then comes back and carefully pulls a pin from my hair, letting a curl fall out of my twisty updo. She smiles, I giggle and make shooing gestures, and she goes.

I can almost hear the breath taken in by the crowd, and more applause. Jason looks like he's just been told that he's won everything he's ever wanted, that's how happy he is.

Then it's my turn. Dimly, I hear my name announced, and the small applause start. When I come into view, the room goes dead silent. I see women eying my dress with jealously, men eying _me_ jealously, and Percy—Percy looks like he's been struck with a bolt of lightning. The look passes when I reach ground level and applause and cheers echo around the room.  
"Is it that bad?" I ask Percy nervously.

"I forgot."  
"What?"  
"How beautiful you are when you actually try. It's—it's beyond words," Percy murmurs, tucking the curl Piper let loose behind my ear. I smile at him, shutting out Piper's smirking face over his shoulder.

"And how good you smell, Percy, dear, when you try."  
He laughs, kissing my cheek.

We mingle, we chat, we make toasts and explain how much we don't know about our wedding.

When the evening is finally over, we go to my room—and lock the door.

**Use your imagination. If you're like, 6, then they went and kissed. If you're like, 16, then you know. If you're 32, then you really know. **

**Please review! I might do a recap of the banquet/party next chapter, but I don't know. Thanks for reading!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Heyo! Sorry for the wait! Inspiration is lacking. D:**

"Annabeth," I hear.  
"Mmmgha."  
"Wake uuuuup!"

"No."  
"Please."  
"No."  
"I'll take your blanket."  
"Do it."  
"Okay." I feel my blanket being tugged on, and I let it easily slide through my grasp. Then I sigh without opening my mouth and roll over. I hear Percy chuckle and the thump of the blanket hitting the floor.

Then I roll again, faster, stopping when I'm on my chest, using my momentum to fling me up and towards Percy. I hit his chest with my back and I hear the breath go out of him. I've knocked us onto the floor, on top of my blanket. He grunts, trying to sit up. I spin myself over and push him down again, holding him down by the shoulders. I lean over him, teasing. He glares at me, and I give him a small smile. The side of his mouth flicks up, once, obviously a reflex. I laugh and give him a light peck. He sighs.

"I'm sorry for taking your blanket and waking you up early."  
"Thank you," I say, giving him a real kiss. When we break apart, I rest my head on his shoulder, laying completely on him. He sighs, stroking my hair.

"But I did have a good reason."  
"I figured."

"The queen wants us to go over wedding plans today."  
"Which?"  
"All of them. Colors, plates, music, guests, bridesmaids, best man, maid of honor, blah, blah, blah. The whole shebang."  
"Great. When do we have to report for duty?"  
"Um…about five minutes ago."

"Percy!"

"I know. Shall we get going?"  
"Fine."  
I stand up and stretch, Percy doing the same. He goes down to his rooms, and I pick out a white top with black leggings, sheathing my ivory sword at my belt and slipping my knife into my boot. Then I pull my hair back, letting it fall down my back in controlled chaos.

Breakfast is done being served fancily, so I head down to the kitchens to grab a roll and some fruit. I meet Percy on my way back, carrying several muffins, grapes, and rolls in a basket. I add my stash to his, and we snack and chat as we head towards the Great Hall.

"Ah, Annabeth. Glad you could make it…even 15 minutes late."  
"Sorry, Mother. But the castle's big."  
"Well, you know all of the secret little passages."  
"They're dusty. I'm wearing white."  
"And pants. Why is this becoming a trend?"  
"Because it's easy."  
"And a sword."  
"Plus a knife in my boot."  
Mother sighs, shaking her head. She instructs the servants to assist us then leaves, off to do her queenly duties.

"Well, where shall we start?"  
"Always start with place setting!" Piper calls to us, entering the hall with Jason, Hazel, Frank, Leo, and Reyna on her tail, looking grumpy.

"Um…place settings," I tell Percy.

"Perfect. Can I just say one thing to Piper?"  
"Sure."  
"You are not allowed to criticize every little choice we make, alright? Because if you do, I will…be very angry."  
Piper huffs. "Fine. I will sit here playing games with the rest of us."

They start playing Bird, Bird, Cow, along with some other childhood games. Percy and I quickly choose plates, music, and colors (gray and blue) are working on bridesmaids when a small, blue ball sails over my head and hits Percy in the eye. Percy yelps and stumbles back, holding the ball. Jason, Frank, and Leo are cracking up. Percy straightens slowly, glaring at the trio. They try to stop laughing, but Percy's expression is too funny. I giggle a little bit, too, before stifling it. He carefully grips the ball, cranking his arm around before whipping it in Jason's direction. Jason barely has time to duck before it hits the wall behind his head with a solid _thunk! _Jason grabs the balls, spins, and whips it back. Percy catches it.

The girls all run for cover, because we don't want laughter to affect their war. They've found more little balls and are chucking them back and forth with lighting speed. Percy's howling with anger and unfairness, barely having time to throw a ball before one flies to him again. He gets one in the shoulder, and yells that he'll have to do it one-armed. But the odds aren't in his favor, so I leap on the table, slide across, narrowly missing flying missiles. I land on the floor by Percy.

"You shouldn't have come," He grunts. "It's dangerous."  
"Well, you can't do it along, and certainly not with a dead arm."  
"Hm." Percy ducks, but one ball hits his other arm. He falls down dramatically. I reach over, plant a kiss on each bicep.

"Healed!" I shout. He springs back into a crouch, takes a ball into each hand, and whips them at the other side. One hits Frank's left arm, the other nails Leo's chest. He stumbles back, fingering the spot, then falls down.

"Dead!" Piper cries. "Beyond healing!" Leo stands up and sits by the girls, declaring himself refereeing.  
"Reinforcements!" Percy shouts, pointing. I turn to see Malcom entering.

"Malcom! Get down!" I screech. He falls to the ground and crawls over to Percy and me.  
"What're we facing," He says, breathless.

"Two enemies…possibly four soon. Frank's arm is out, unless Hazel can get over there and heal it."  
"Okay. Do I get a healer."  
"Sure. Reyna!" I shout. She sticks her head up, and I motion her over. She worms across the floor.

"Yeah?"  
"Congrats. You've been recruited. Malcom's your healer, and you're his. Stick together. Don't let him die."  
Reyna nods crisply. "Right."  
I stick my head up, ball in hand, and chuck it at Piper crawling towards Jason and Frank. She squeals and drops, laying on the floor. I throw another one, headed for her back, but have to duck because of a ball heading towards my head, so my throw is off course, hitting Piper's arm.

"Gah!" She yells, frantically crawling to cover with one arm. Jason goes for her and earns a ball in the shoulder from Malcom. He keeps going, and makes it to Piper. They exchange kisses, healing. Hazel starts for Frank, but Reyna nails her in the stomach.

"Three…two…one!" I yell. But Frank's kissed her before she's gone. A volley of balls fly towards them, and Frank shields Hazel with his body. They all hit him, and he gives Hazel a butterfly kiss before joining Leo.

"Revenge!" Hazel yells. She starts running up and down, around and over, not getting hit because she's so erratic. Finally, when we reach for balls, we've got none: we threw them all away. Then, to top it off, our table starts to slide away, and I realize that our cover is getting taken.

We have to flee because of sudden volley of balls. Our team flatten against the wall, occasionally being lucky enough to be able to reach one, and throw it, but they've got so many, it's hard to reach out without getting hit.  
"Okay, guys. New plan," I whisper.

**I have to stop there otherwise it'll be really long. Hope you like this "war", please review!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hello again! Sorry for the wait…I really wanted to update my other story…so I skipped you. Sorry.**

**We were supposed to dress up as superheroes today, and my BFF was Percy Jackson. Was awesome.**

I quickly relay the plan, then scramble for the stairs. Malcom rolls me balls, which I collect in my shirt. Percy and Reyna are yelling insults and throwing balls and air (the other team ducks for both).

Carefully, cradling my stash, I creep up the stairs. Reyna and Percy are succeeding in keeping the other's attention, so when I'm on the balcony above, none of them are looking at me.  
Carefully, I heave all the balls onto the railing, where I arrange them into a nice little pyramid. Percy's taking a breather, and his eyes find me. I point to directly beneath me, right in the firing range of my missiles. He nods, blows a kiss, and jumps back into action. They make a big show of throwing all their ammunition, and then wave a white flag.

"We surrender!" Malcom calls. Slowly, they stands, hands on their heads. Their position happens to be very near to the spot where the balls will drop.  
The other team advances slowly, and stop right where I need them to.  
"Hey…where's Annabeth?" Jason asks.

"Hey!" I call. They all look, and I let loose my ammo. They're all hit more than once, and my team is completely fine.  
"HA!" Percy yells. They shout and grumble and protest that it was unfair, but I slide down the banister and throw myself into Percy's arms.  
"You're safe," I breath. He smiles into my hair, rubbing my back.  
"Yes. Finally, we can be together and be safe."

"Oh, shut up, cheaters!" Piper calls. I laugh at her, and she sticks her tongue out.

We banter for a while, chatting and laughing while we finish planning and eat lunch.  
"Let's go out," I suggest, when we're all heading out. The others agree, quickly, and we all separate to go to our rooms to get ready.

I climb down the ivy after brushing my hair again, and Percy's waiting.

"Something's off. Can you feel it?" He asks.

"You're probably just nervous about getting married," I tease. He doesn't look reassured.

"Maybe."  
"Hey," I say, stepping close and kissing him lightly. "It's okay. We're okay."  
He smiles. His heart's not in it. I'm about to say something else when the others show up.  
"Race you," Piper laughs, setting off. We all chase after, making it to the city quickly.

"Was it raining or something?" I question. "There should be people, like, everywhere."  
"The ground is completely dry," Reyna comments.  
"We should head to town square. Maybe there's something going on."  
We all agree with Malcom, and follow him.

We find the people at the square, all right. But they're all dead silent.  
"We shouldn't be here," Percy warns. I'm about to agree when a woman steps up to the podium.

"Citezens," She says, calmly. "I have gathered you here to witness the falling of your government. They aren't as strong as they seem, but they are as uncaring as they seem. I was going to prove this to you by killing you all, but the Royal children are here. Let them be an example." She points right to us.  
"Run," I whisper. I hear the others turn around, but they don't move. "What—"

I freeze. Figures are blocking our path—but they aren't humans. I go for my sword, but never make it. Something hits the back of my head, and the world fades to black.

**Short, I know, but inspiration is really lacking. :( Please review anyways. **


	20. Chapter 20

**Hello! I started another story, go check it out!  
**"Annabeth! Annabeth, look out!"

"Hmm?" I'm still sleepy.  
"Roll, Annabeth!"  
I recognize Pipers voice, so I roll to the left and stand. A sword hits the ground where I was laying. I look for the owner of it, but all I see is gray stone wall.  
"What—" I turn. Piper, Reyna, and Hazel are all huddled against the other wall. I realize we're in a cell. "Where—what—"  
"We're in a prison, Annabeth." Piper says, looking exhausted. They don't move, and I see cuffs, holding them against the wall. "That woman must have taken us here. We've been here a couple of hours, at least. They wouldn't tell us anything until you were awake."  
"Where's Per—the boys?"  
"We don't know."

I bite my lip. "What have you tried?"  
"What?"  
"To get out or talk to them? What have you tried?"  
"Um…nothing."  
"Why?"  
"Well…"  
I sigh. "Doesn't matter. We'll try now."  
They all look at me expectantly.

"Where are our weapons?" I ask, noticing my empty sheath.  
"No idea."  
I reach down into my boot. At first I feel nothing, but then I feel part of the hilt. Hearing footsteps, I take my hand out quickly. A man is standing in the hallway.

"Well, well. Glad you're awake…princess."  
I say nothing, staring at him defiantly.

"Oh? Strong and silent, eh?"  
He gets nothing.  
"Well, we have a few questions…"  
I roll my eyes.  
"Oh, yes?" He grins and makes a gesture with his hand. I hear more footsteps, and a bigger man comes into view. "Annabeth here is having a hard time adjusting… could you help persuade her?"  
The big man unlocks the door and steps in, closing the door behind him.

"We're having a similar problem with another boy…Percy, is it? Maybe you could help convince him as well."  
I'm sneering at him when the other man grabs me by the neck and forces me on the wall, holding me up with one giant hand. I try to gasp but get nothing, no air. The man outside the bars laughs.  
"Annabeth!" Hazel charges forward, but the man holding me up punches her in the face before she can reach him. She goes flying back and hits the wall with a crack. Piper scrambles to her and feels her head.  
"Thomasin," The man outside warns. The man holding me grunts.

Black spots start to appear in my vision.  
"Are you going to help?" The man asks.

I gasp out something negative, and he snarls. "Go ahead and strangle her, Thomasin. The others will use her as an example."  
Thomasin squeezes harder, and the black spots get bigger. Frantically, I grab at his hand and pull his pinkie finger. He drops me when his finger bends back farther than should be possible. I sit on the floor, gasping for air. He grunts and reaches for me again, but I duck under his hand and roll between his legs, grabbing at his belt as I go. He grumbles and turns, and I whip my knife up, out of my boot, and into his privates. He roars in pain and I throw the keys I snagged to Piper. She unlocks her cuffs and the others.  
I turn to the other man. He looks stricken. I grab his collar and pull him to the bars, holding my knife at his throat.

"Where's Percy?" I growl. He giggles. I grab his hand and hold my knife to his thumb, pressing enough to draw blood. "You tell me where he is or I'll cut your thumb off!"  
He gulps. "Several cells to the east."  
"Our weapons?"

"In between your cells…you'll pass them."  
"Good." I let him go and swirl out of the cell. He glares at me and I push him into the cell and lock it.

"Don't be so cocky next time," I say. We start running down the corridor.  
"Sh," I hiss. "There's some commotion." We peek around the corner and see the boys rifling through the weapons locker.  
"Percy!" I run out. He looks up.

"Where've you been?" He asks.  
"In a cell. Stabbed some guy in the privates. Almost cut off the other one's thumb. You?"  
"Bout the same. Didn't stab anyone, though. Just bashed his head in."  
"They didn't take Riptide?"  
"Oh, no, they did. The guy who interrogated us had a hammer on his belt. Leo has claimed it."  
I look at Leo, who hefts a 3-pound war hammer. I instinctively take a step back.

"Way out?"  
"Back that way," He says, pointing down the way we came. He hands me my sword and a quick kiss.  
"Let's go," I say, leading the way. Piper is right behind me, then Malcom,Hazel and Frank, Reyna, Jason, and Percy takes up the rear.  
It's quiet when we reach our cell. All the other ones are empty, and so is the one the two men should have been in.  
"They're gone," I say, looking in. The door's shut, and the cuffs are curled neatly instead of flung everywhere like the girls left them.  
"Maybe it was a different cell?" Frank questions. Hazel shakes her head.

"Look, there's the blood from that Thomasin guy. This is the correct cell."  
"Let's just keep moving," Piper suggests. We keep moving with a silent agreement.

After a while of jogging, the cement floors change to rock, and we reach a large cavern. It's full of the things that brought us here: women, from the waist up, but with two snake bodies instead of legs, and I'm sure if we got close enough to see their mouths, they'd have forked tongues.

"Dracaena," I whisper. "Be careful, they're—"  
Malcom takes a step forward for a better look and sends a pebble skittering down the steep side.  
Our group holds its breath, watching. It slides to a stop right near a trunk of a woman who's stepping back and forth.

"Back up," I hiss. They start creeping back as she steps on the pebble. I'm stepping back when she looks up. Our eyes meet; she lets out an ear-splitting shriek.

All the dracaena stop what their doing and look up. They all see me, and I stay frozen for a second. They start to run toward us, but their legs aren't meant for climbing. It takes them a few seconds to find even the slightest purchase on the wall, but the do, slowly and surely.

"Annabeth!" Percy grabs the back of my tunic and yanks me back. I start to run, him holding onto my arm. We're in the back now, and I can hear the thundering of the dracaena running after us.

"Faster, faster!" Percy cries. "Don't stop—"  
Piper stops. We're right in front of our old cell, but I ignore it and shoulder forward.  
"What's the matter—"  
More dracaena are headed toward us. I look back desperately—they're closing in on that side, too.  
"We're trapped," Jason says, hopeless.

"Into the cell!" I say, shoving everyone in. I close the door just as the first of the dracaena reach us.

"There has to be a secret passage somewhere!" I yell. "Otherwise, the other two would never have—"  
"They probably went to the cavern, Annabeth!" Reyna cries. She's busy chopping fingers off any monster that gets to close.

"No, we would have met them! Thomasin was stabbed between the legs, he wouldn't be very fast! We would have seen—"  
I stop. I see the spot where I stabbed him. It trails toward the wall… and disappears.  
"Here!" I cry, banging on the wall. "It's got to be here somewhere!"  
A cry goes up from the dracaena. One of them found an axe, and they pass it up and start hammering on the door. It shakes. Percy leaves my side to help kill them.

"Leo!" I shout. He runs over.  
"We're a little busy, Annabeth!"  
"No, the wall! It's got to be a passage! Look at the blood! Help me!"  
We feel the wall, pushing and pulling every little crack. Nothing. But then—I feel a small knob to my right, and twist it. The wall slides back just as the cell door brakes.  
"Here!" I scream over the dracaena. The others back up slowly, taking small hits under the pressure. Frank and Hazel disappear first, then Malcom and Reyna. Jason and Piper are right after, then it's just Percy, me, and the monsters.

"Come on!" Percy yells at me. I turn to go, and I feel long claws on my leg. I cry out and fall forward, letting Percy catch me. He holds me up with one arm, and slashes once, slicing any dracaena close. He backs us up and kicks the door closed. The dracaena hammer against it, the wall shaking. Percy swings me up over his shoulder and runs. He catches up with the others in seconds, and they keep running.

"No!" Percy shouts, coming to a stop. He sets me down, and I look out of the opening.  
At first I think it's okay, but then I realize the end of the passage opens over open air. The ocean is below us, and there's no place to go except back.

"Maybe we missed something!" Reyna says. Jason shakes his head.

"No, I was trailing my hands on the walls. No doors or openings, as far as I could tell.

"We could jump," Percy suggests.  
"We'll never make it. It's like hitting the ground from this height." I say, looking to see if we could climb the wall.

"Maybe…maybe the dracaena will give up and leave," Leo offers.  
We hear a roar then, and the ground starts to shake.

"Yeah…They aren't giving up," Reyna gulps. "They just got through."  
"We're trapped," Piper says in disbelief.

**New longest chapter! And Happy 20 chapters! Please review!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Hi, sorry for the wait! Been busy.**

A stunned silence hangs in the air between us.  
"We have to go back… there's got to be something!"  
"There's no time!"  
"Can we fight them off?"  
"I…not without casualties."  
The roaring gets louder, and we all turn toward the corridor behind us.

We're just in time to see the first dracaena round the corner.

Suddenly, everything slows. I can hear the wind, Percy's breath, even his heartbeat. My vison zooms for a second, then goes back to normal, but I can tell it's enhanced.

_"__You must not die here," _A woman's voice says. I can tell that the others heard it too. _"Your powers are blocked from you. I can only break so many barriers. I will break all of Annabeth's. She will break the others.  
"And remember—don't be afraid."  
_The voice leaves, and I hear something shatter. I cry out and fall to my knees, holding my head as if to block it from the sudden wave of pain.

"Annabeth!" Percy crouches in front of me. "What's…"

His voice trails off as I gasp. The world has entered high definition.

I stand, surveying our suroundings. The dracaena fumble closer, and the only way to go is down…or out.  
"Okay. Jason, grab hold of Piper and Reyna. Hold their hands."  
They do as I say, eyeing the dracaena nervously.

"Frank, crouch down. Hazel, Leo—on his back."  
They look at me like I've gone crazy, but do it."  
"Percy, hold my waist and hold onto Malcom. Ready?"  
Percy grabs my waist and Malcom's arm. "Annabeth—"  
I shove Jason, and he pulls the girls with him. I hear them screaming, but Jason's not. He knows there's something.

"The wind, Jason!" I scream, shoving Frank and his load. They free-fall.  
"Percy!" I pull on him, toward the edge. His eyes are doubtful, resisting. "Trust me."  
He lets me pull him off the edge.

The wind whistles past our ears.

"The water, Percy!" I yell in his ear. "Feel it, pull i—"  
The water hits. The three of us are submerged. I almost choke water, but then it's gone—on our backs, holding us up. Percy let's out an exhilarated whoop. Jason, Reyna, and Piper are floating with some difficulty. And Leo and Hazel are riding a dragon.

The dracaena look stunned, whispering.

"Frank!" I yell. He swoops closer.

"They can't know. Torch them!"  
Frank goes off toward the tunnel entrance, making the dracaena scramble backward. He shoots a controlled stream of fire toward them, and the entire legion of monsters is reduced to ash in seconds.

"The beach!" I say, waving toward it. The nine of us all move toward it, flying and swimming and screaming.

We reach it and I fall onto the sand, moaning. My leg stings from where the dracaena slashed me, and the salt water didn't help.

The others crowd around me. They've all got small cuts and bruises, but mine is the worst.

"Annabeth—what—how?" Reyna splutters. I pull my legs up to my chin.

"Um. After the voice left, I heard something shatter. Did you guys?"  
They shake their heads. "Just a small crack," Percy says, making the others nod.

"Well." I twirl my hair around. "After something shattered, my head hurt for a second, then I understood."  
"What?"  
"Like, everything. Anyone remember the legends of the gods?"  
I get a chorus of yeses.  
"They aren't legends. They're real. And we're all decendents of them, and inheirited some of their powers."  
"That's…that's impossible!" Jason exclaims.  
"Really?" I ask. "Then explain to me why we're alive? How you flew? How Percy's completely dry and Malcom and I are sopping wet?"

There's quiet as they digest what I said. Then come the questions.

"How'd you know?"  
"Do the rest of us have powers?"  
"Where are we?"  
"Is that all we can do?"  
"Do we—"  
I hold up my hands. "Guys, we can't do this here. We're all injured, tired, and hungry. Let's find a place to rest, and then we'll talk."  
They all agree. Reyna hands out jobs.  
"Jason, Piper—a nice place to sleep. Hazel, Frank—food. Not poisonous. Percy, Annabeth—fresh water supply. Leo—fire. Malcom—help me find something soft to rest on. Meet back here in half hour, or when we've done or found what we need."  
We all agree again, and Percy grabs my hand as we walk through the jungle. It's quiet between us.

"Where do you think we are?" He asks.

"Hard to tell." He's not paying attention, but I keep talking. "Jungle means probably near Hermond, or an island of its coast." He's looking back for the others. "But I don't know where the jail was…it might have been Athens, since the countries do make a bay, but I'd think there'd be more ships—"  
He grabs my shoulders and pushes me back into a tree, kissing me. His hands cup my face, mine on his waist.

"I couldn't bear being away from you earlier," He says, leaning his forehead against mine.  
"Me neither." I trace his cheekbone with my thumb.  
"I was terrified something would happen to you."  
"I was—I almost shut down."  
"But you didn't."  
"You might've needed me."  
"I always need you."  
We're together again, moving with each other. Until I hear Leo gag.

"Oh, my eyes! The kissing! It's everywhere, it buuuuuuurns!" He staggers around, clutching his throat. Percy makes a rude gesture.  
"Find your own part of the jungle."  
"Everything's wet! This is the only dry section."  
"Don't believe you. You just like sneaking up on people kissing."  
"I don't!"  
"Go away."  
Leo stumbles away. Percy comes back to me. He doesn't kiss me, just holds me.  
"We oughta find some water."  
"Yeah."  
"Let's go."  
Neither of us move. We're still in that position when we hear Reyna shouting for us. It jolts us, and we pull apart and run down to the beach.

Leo's glaring at everyone. "Well? Who did what they were supposed to?"  
Silence.

Leo harrumphs. "Well, I found a nice place to sleep and also found Piper and Jason doing things that scarred me.

"Then I found some berries that some kind of animal was eating, so I knew it's safe. And Hazel and Frank in the weirdest position.

"After being burned, I found a river and Percy and Annabeth right in front of it. They didn't even realize it was there.

"Then I found some soft leaves to sleep on, and Malcom and Reyna in a tree. They said they were looking for leaves, but I suspect they were about to get very intimate."  
"And where's your fire, Leo?"  
He stands up, face red. "I couldn't start one since I was busy doing all of your jobs!"  
We all start laughing our heads off. He looks scandalized.

"I'm going to go catch some fish," He mutters.  
"I got it," Percy says, stopping him. He wades up to his waist as Leo starts with the fire. "Here," Percy tells him, throwing six fish on his lap. Leo looks astounded.

"That was fast!"  
"They all wanted to be eaten by me. I promised a bite from each."  
I giggle, but try to stifle it. Percy sits next to me and wraps his arm around me. Leo glances up, once, and back down. The wood bursts into fire.

"Wow," I remark. Leo looks stunned.

"I—I didn't know I could do that!" He stammers.  
"I did."  
All eyes turn to me. I take a deep breath.

"Please don't interrupt.

"So, I heard that voice. Then something shattered, and then I sort of—remembered.  
"Our parents are all named after the old gods. If we take the throne, everyone but our spouses will know us as the god's name.  
"Every country has a focus, right? Zeus. Jupiter. He's in charge of power and air, right? The god named Zeus was King of the gods, and Lord of the skies—he controlled the airwaves and storms. Hades. Pluto. In charge of mining, and their funeral rituals are very serious. The god Hades lived in the Underworld, ruling over the dead. Poseidon. The god lived underwater, in a palace. Controlled all the seas and could cause earthquakes. Hephaestus was god of blacksmiths and inventors—could build anything. He was also immune to fire, from working in the forges for so long. Aphrodite—the goddess of love. Could make anyone fall in love with anyone or anything. Athena, the goddess of battle and wisdom. Ares, or Mars, the god of war. Bellona was also goddess of battle, but in a different version of religion.

"Malcom, Reyna and I are all brilliant fighters and very smart. Percy can control water, and Jason can control winds. Leo has fire abilities, and is an incredible mechanic. Frank is a strategist, and can change forms. Hazel can draw metals to her through the ground, and is able to make people see the wrong thing. And Piper can make anyone do what she wants with her voice."

**Yayayayayayayayayayayayayayayay! I'm so pumped about this! Please please tell me what you thought was confusing, I'll bring it up next chapter! Review, follow, favorite!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Hello! Sorry for the wait…CHRISTMAS! Hope you had fun, whatever you celebrate. **

A stunned silence follows my revelation. Then everyone starts talking at once.

"But that's—"  
"There's absolutely no way—"  
"Why do we—"  
"That's impossible—"  
"Don't we—"  
"Can't I—"  
"I want to—"  
"I'm—"  
"That's—"  
"You're—"  
"QUIET!" Percy shouts at all of them. "The _fish's_ done!"

Everyone stares at him, then at me. I've got my hands over my ears, taking deep breaths because they're right in my ears.

"Take some fish!" Percy barks. "Give me a bite first, then you can eat it! Then questions—one at a time."  
Everyone starts doing what they're told, looking ashamed and slightly scared. Except Percy. He stays by my side, rubbing my back and eating fish.

"Okay," He says finally, after everyone's seated with their fish. "Piper. Ask a question."  
She bites her cheek. "Um, well…how do I activate my power?"  
I shrug. "I'm not sure, exactly. You'll need it sometime, need it badly, and it will come. That's how most of them come."  
She nods. Percy points to Jason.

"I don't believe you."  
"How?" I laugh. "What part of what we just did don't you believe?"  
He hesitates, clearly thinking. "Well…I get that we just did it…but…how?"  
"Gods," I say. "They're supremely powerful, and they pass down some of their powers to us."  
Leo clears his throat. "Uh, how exactly do you know all this?"  
"No idea," I snap. "I heard a voice, and then I knew. I'm going to find out who the voice belonged to, though."  
"How is my power associated with Hades—Pluto?" Hazel asks.

"Well, the metal thing-Pluto is god of everything below the earth. Mostly minerals. You can also find, create, and collapse tunnels. As for the illusion thing—I think you're the choosen hero of the goddess of magic."  
"What animals can I turn into?" Frank questions.

"No idea. Try some different things."  
"We're just smart?" Malcom asks me.  
"And fighters. But yeah, we change the least."  
They're quiet after that. "Percy?"  
"Nothing."  
"Reyna?"

"No thanks."

"Alright. I'm going to get some rest, and I suggest that you all do the same. We're leaving in the morning."

Ignoring their looks, I get up and walk over to a large tree, with very wide, strong branches—wide enough that two people can lay side by side. I climb up a little bit, lay down some leaves and grasses, and settle in to it. Closing my eyes, I fight back the tears that come—from the yells of my friends, the fear from earlier, and just not knowing what's happening or what's going to. I breath, faster and faster, until a rustle below me makes me stop, open my eyes, and peer down. A familiar smile greets me, and then I'm being held.

"It's okay. They're going to talk a bit more. It's just me and you," he murmurs. "Do you want to talk?"  
I bite my lip, clenching my hands in his shirt. "I just—I have so many questions, so many things unanswered."  
"Like what?"  
"Like—where are we? Who was the voice we heard? What's happening now, and what's going to happen next? Why do I have to understand everything? Why me?"  
Percy holds me tighter, and I bury my face in his shoulder as he rubs my back.

"Annabeth, I can't answer any of your questions—except for one." He leans back, holding my chin, making me look right at him. His expression is firm. "Why you? Because you're the strongest, the smartest. You're our leader."  
"I'm not," I choke out.

"You are," He says firmly. "We'll answer all of your questions, in time. You have to be patient."  
"I hate being patient."  
"So do I. Sometimes we have to do hard things to succeed."  
"Ugh."

"My father taught me that," He continues, still rubbing my back. I nestle into him, listening to his voice. "Because I'm going to be king someday. You know what my mother said?"  
"What?"  
"Always have a strong woman by your side. Then the things you do won't have to be so hard."  
I smile.

"And the things I do are already easier."  
I breath out onto his shirt. "Thanks."  
"I love you, Annabeth."  
"I love you, too," I whisper, feeling sleep coming.

He says something else, but I don't hear it. I'm too far gone.

**Okay, not the most satisfactory of chapters or the longest, but I wanted to get it up. Please review!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Here we go!**

"Annabeth."

"Mmm."

"Annabeth!" This is accompanied by a laugh, and I peel one eye open.

"What?"  
"Sh, everyone's sleeping," Percy says.

"Why'd ya wake me up, then?"

"Because I'm awake. So we have to play!"  
"Go play by yourself."

"Do you wanna build a sandcastle?"  
**[A/N—Frozen!]**

"Nope."

"Do you wanna do something?"  
"Sure. I wanna sleep."  
"Please?"  
I frown. Stupid, gorgeous sea-green eyes.

"Fine."

He gives a silent cheer of joy and climbs down the tree.

"Catch!" I yell-whisper, and fling myself off the branch. He catches me, one hand under my knees, other under my back. He frowns.

"I might not have caught you."  
"But you did."  
"But I might not have!"  
"Calm down, Percy. Let's go play."  
He sets me down and we race to the beach, the air pleasantly cool. But the water is nice and warm on my toes.

"Shall we swim?" He asks. I glance back at the tree, full of sleeping friends.

"We might want to move down a bit," I suggest. He agrees, and we walk, hand in hand, down the beach on the firmer sand. When we're a good distance away, I pull him back, back to me, and give him a good, long, sweet kiss. He smiles at me when we pull apart.

"What was that for?" He mumbles.  
I shrug. "Nothing," I murmur, slowly tracing his jawline with my fingertips.

"Didn't feel like nothing."  
"It was because I love you."  
"I love you."

We stand there for a few more seconds, the waves brushing our ankles, until he pulls away and pulls of his shirt and pants, so he's only wearing underwear.

I do the same, and we wade into the surf. It makes us feel clean, so he maneuvers the water into a squirt and uses it to wash our hair and bodies.  
"Thank you," I say, wringing out my hair.  
"Where are you going?"  
"I'm…" I start to point at the beach, but the look on his face makes me stop. "What?"  
He grins. "We haven't even played!"

With that, the waves yank me back, and I go swirling into his arms, while he laughs. I pout.

"No fair, Percy. We're in the ocean."  
"Aw, poor Annabeth!"  
I smirk, then reach out with my leg and pull his knees in, making him fall into the water. Then I stand on him, making him stay under. He laughs, grabs my ankles, and pulls downward so I fall down on top of him. Bubbles fly out of my nose and get bigger, until we're in a large air bubble.  
"This is interesting," I say, prodding the side of the bubble.

"Come here," He replies, pulling my head down.

It's a while later until we stand up, wade out of the water and onto shore, and pull our clothes back on. The others wave at us down the beach. When we reach them, Leo's arguing.

"You do too owe me! I said 'bet you ten dollars that they're underwater' and you sort of nodded agreeably, so you owe me ten dollars!"  
Jason sighs. "I never agreed to this."  
"You nodded."  
"I agreed that they were somewhere underwater. I never agreed to bet."  
"I did."  
"You can't agree something like that by yourself."  
"But I already did."  
"So bet yourself."  
Leo scowls and turns his attention to the food, some berries and roots Reyna recognized.

After a light feasting, we decide to circle around the island to see if we can see any other land. So, after gathering any leftovers and a bunch of the leaves we slept on, we start off. For a while, we make small talk, but after a while, we just walk silently. The beach and jungle all look the same, and the horizon stays decidedly empty.

"Okay, stop," I say finally, and everyone collapses on the sand, feet in the water. "Maybe we should cut through the middle."  
"But then we could end up where we started," Malcom counters.

"But we'd be walking less—"  
"Through trees and vines and wild animals."  
"Plus, a tree would give us better vantage point than the beach."  
Malcom considers this, chewing his lip. "Let's vote," he says, finally. "For continuing down the beach?" His hand, Leo's, Frank's, and Jason's go up. "For cutting through the jungle?" Mine, Percy's, Piper's, Reyna's, and Hazel's go up. "Jungle it is."

So we all turn ourselves, and head into the jungle. It's hot in here, and the trees are close together so we have to walk single file, Percy in the lead. We've gone maybe five yards when he stumbles back, and falls backward, an arrow in his stomach.

The others immediately draw their weapons, on guard, but I can't. I fall to my knees by his head.

"Percy," I whisper as the others fan out, on guard, weapons at the ready. His breathing is shallow, the arrow buried deep. I can tell it hit something; something important in his stomach that keeps him going is ruptured and it can't keep him going anymore.

"Annabeth?" He gasps out. "Stay…"  
Tears run down my face, tasting salty on my tongue.  
"Percy, don't, I'm gonna…"  
"Sh, you'll be okay."  
"Shut up! Don't talk about me."  
"You'll be here, without me."  
"Stop it!" The tears come harder. "I have to, I gotta—"  
"Sh, Annabeth. Don't cry."  
"But I have to help you!"  
"You know where I'm hit, Annabeth. This kind of hit…"  
More tears, more salt, more water.

Water.

I stand back up again, and grab him under the shoulders. Piper glances back, once, then goes back to creeping silently through the forest.

"Whee," Percy mumbles as I drag him through the dirt and onto the sand. He leaves a trail of blood, thick and bright on the white grains.

Percy's not the lightest person in the world, and I'm not the strongest. So it takes me longer than I want to reach the water, and I'm stumbling as I near the surf. Finally, my feet hit water, just as Percy's eyes are beginning to close.  
"Come on," I gasp. Percy's eyes are fully shut, but he's submerged. The his blood mixes with salt water, turning the water near red and bloody. "Come on!"  
The water carries the blood out and away from me, and suddenly I see something out of my peripheral. It's a shark. No, it's three. Heading towards me, towards my dying love. I shakily stand, because even if Percy's dead he's not getting eaten by sharks.

They're fifteen feet away…ten…eight…five…three…two…and they stop. Turn away. I look at Percy, who's blinking, confused.

"Why'd those sharks want to eat me?"  
I give a relieved, hysterical laugh and give him a quick kiss, then run up the beach to help my friends.

**So I have no idea who the shooter was. I just wanted Percy to get shot. ;D. Please review!  
Oh, and this story is now my longest story page-wise, with 102!**


	24. Chapter 24

My sword in hand, I can barely see Leo through the trees, they're so far ahead of me and the trees are so thick. I creep silently through the underbrush until I reach a clearing, sunlight filtering through, illuminating my friends standing in a circle. They glance at me, then back at the trees. Nothing moves for a second, then Jason lunges to the side as an arrow buries itself where he was standing.

And then all hell breaks lose.

People come flying through the treeline, maybe 20, shrieking and waving spears or bows and arrows. They strike at us, again and again, relentless. But still, they're no match for us, even though we aren't using our powers. One man lunges at me—I sidestep, slash a woman aiming for Piper, stab the first man, and use my momentum to stab another man.

It's over in minutes. They're strewn out around us, bloodied and hurt. Most still breathing, but some motionless. We're panting, but unscathed. A man who has a wound on his arm but is otherwise fine is shaking on the ground, and I prod him with my sword.

"You. Up."  
He stands up, fear in his eyes.

"Who are you?"  
"Pooti."  
"Pooti? Well, why did you attack us?"  
"We…you are trespassers."  
"Yeah, well, we were in a prison and we broke out of it. This was the closest land, so we came here. We've been on the beach since yesterday, and you never attacked us then."  
"The beach is not our territory. The jungle is. We protect it."  
"Uh-huh. So you'll leave us alone if we go back to the beach?"  
"We…" He licks his lip nervously.

"Let me rephrase that." I stick my sword under his throat. "If we go back to the beach, we'll leave you alone. Good?"  
He nods.  
"Do you have to ask anyone, Pooti?"  
"My leader."  
"Go. We'll be on the beach."  
He runs off, and I jerk my head toward the beach, beckoning the others. They follow me, and Percy's standing in the surf, looking at his shirt in dismay.

"This was my favorite shirt," He says, crestfallen.

"You'll be fine," I tell him.

"What happened?"  
"We destroyed them. I mean, we beat their butts," Leo says, proud. "Annabeth was all like, slash, stab, kill! You, dude, you back to your leader and tell them that we are the bestest ever and will kill you all if you come at us again!"

Percy nods. "I can believe it."  
Suddenly, there is commotion on the beach. Pooti runs toward us, and in the treeline, thousands of people gather.

"Leader says you kill too many. Leader says he doesn't let you go."  
"Where is he?"  
Pooti shakes his head. "Leader stay back."  
I grab him by the shirt, angry, and shove my face up to his. "Where is he?" I snarl. I hear a cough behind me, like someone was laughing and had to disguise it. Probably Percy.

Pooti shakes with terror. "He—he—"  
"I am here," a voice says. I look up, dropping Pooti, who falls to the ground, shaking.

The man advancing toward me is dressed in scraps of fabric, but more so than the other people, and has several markings on his chest.

"You don't like our terms?" I ask, voices sharp and cutting.

"No. You do not come to my island and kill five of my villagers and expect to walk."  
"They shot my friend first," I say.

"Which friend?" He asks, smirking. Percy steps forward, the hole and blood on his shirt evident.

The leader swallows. "You are walking. You not shot."  
Percy leans into his face. "I'm special," He whispers. "I have special powers. I can heal. I can control the water. My friends also have powers, and you'll let us go, or we'll unleash them on you."  
The leader doesn't back up. "Show me."  
Percy stands back, in the very center of our group, directly in front of me, and raises his arms. The water comes swirling forward, and engulfs us. I'm only underwater for a second, then a bubble forms. Percy's next to me.

"He wouldn't have let us go without a fight," He explains. "I didn't think it was alright to kill anymore."

I agree, and we all get swept back into the ocean and the current swiftly takes us away from the natives.  
We're on the beach, far from where we started, when I see a speck in the distance.

"There!" I shout, pointing. They all look to where I'm pointing.

"Let's go," Percy says, wading forward until he's submerged, all the way over his head. I take on last look back, hearing the natives yelling but not seeing them, then follow Percy.  
Jason and Frank are flying—Jason with Piper, and Frank with Hazel, and Leo. Percy, Malcom, Reyna, and I walk under the water, in Percy's bubble.

After a while of walking, and walking, we start to see the harbor in the distance.  
"Percy, send me ahead," I tell him.  
"You'll have to hold your breath," He says. I nod, taking a breath, and suddenly I'm shooting forward, through the water, and then I'm shooting up, onto the dock, and standing amid people going about their daily business. Not right now, though. Right now, they're staring at me—having just shot out of the water, clothes dirty, and making a puddle on the ground.

"Hey!" A guard shoulders through the crowd. "What are you—"  
I draw myself up, straight and tall, and fix him with a steely glare.  
He stops short, recognizing me.

"Pri-princess?" He asks. I raise an eyebrow.

"My friends and I have just been kidnapped, attacked, and almost starved. I would like transportation through to the castle."  
"Your friends?"  
I turn towards the water.

"My friends," I say, just as Jason and Piper land on the dock. The crowd gasps in shock, but Jason and Piper stand ramrod straight, exuding royal authority. The people standing around take a few steps back, some bowing. Then a dragon lands on the deck and transforms into Frank, Leo and Hazel standing behind him. They, too, are acting like they are above the people here, and I silently thank king-and-queen lessons.

Then a shout, a pointed finger at the edge of the water. Something black is floating, coming closer—or it's coming up from the water.

Percy walks out of the water, Reyna and Malcom behind him. Water streams off of them, pooling at their feet.

"My friends," I repeat.

"How—how—" The guard can't form words.

"Transportation," I press. He nods, then turns around and whistles. Horses come cantering through, and all stop before us. They seem to be looking at Percy.  
"Your, Your Majesties—we could get a carriage for you—"  
"This will do." I brush past him and climb onto the nearest horse, a white with a black mane.

"You may all resume your daily lives," I tell the people gathered.  
They all pretend to be busy, looking at something or other, but watching us out of the corner of their eyes as the rest of my friends hop onto horses, following me to the palace.

**Hope you liked! Please review, favorite, and follow! Thanks!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Here we go! I think that this story is almost done, actually. **

We ride hard and make it in about 20 minutes. The gate's closed, and I wave to the guard in the guard tower. He recognizes me and opens the gate, and we canter through.

The horses are taken to the stables, and we walk through the palace, toward the throne room. We pause outside, listening.

"I have agreed to pay the ransom—" Mother sounds tired.  
"You will have to wait."  
I look at Percy, who nods. It's the same voice of the woman who kidnapped us.

"Why? I've done everything you asked—"  
"You can't have them."  
"Why?"  
I can tell she's angry, probably towering over the woman. I push open the door, striding through, with the rest of my friends spread out behind me.  
"You can't have us, Mother, because we got away from her."  
We stop, and the woman Mother's talking to turns around.

"Oh, good," Mother sighs. "Guards!"  
The woman makes a break for the door, which is extremely stupid on her part because we're all standing there, armed and angry. At the last second she swerves, toward a guard who's chasing her. She grabs his sword, spins to face us, and hisses, "We've started something. You'll never be safe. Watch your backs, children."  
Then she takes the sword and drives it through her heart.

We watch, stunned, as she falls to the ground and bleeds all over the floor. The guard from before wordlessly wraps her body in a sheet and carries her out. A maid comes rushing in, mops the floor, and rushes out.  
Mother sits down, hard, on her throne.

"I'm retiring."  
"Sweet," Malcom says.

"Not yet," She warns him. "You have to have a suitable bride first."  
I notice him glancing at Reyna.

"Alright. Annabeth, since you were gone, I took the liberty of finishing your wedding plans. It'll be tomorrow."  
She calls a scribe as I stare in shock.

"Write out proclamations inviting everyone in the city to the royal wedding, tomorrow at three. Oh, and Annabeth, I didn't like any of your plans so I changed them all."  
I raise an eyebrow. She keeps talking to the scribe, so I bet that she's not going to listen to whatever I say.

"Oh, Mother. We're going out to town and Percy and I will get married how we want and we won't be back until tomorrow morning. Tomorrow can be a fake one, okay?"  
"Okay, dear."  
I turn on my heel and walk out, making sure I don't start cheering, because she'll notice that and then realize what I said.

They follow me to my rooms, and I collapse on a chair, giggling. Stunned looks are replaced by amused ones.

"She won't realize?" Piper asks. I shake my head.

"We'll be long gone by the time she does. Go to your rooms, get whatever you want, meet back here as soon as possible.

They mutter and walk out, but Percy gets on his knees in front of me.

"Are you sure you want to marry me?"  
"Positive," I say, kissing him. "Even if you didn't really propose."  
He winks. "What do you think I'm doing?"

I gasp as he takes a ring out of his pocket.

"I know royals don't use rings, but…Annabeth, will you marry me?" He asks, holding a ring up. I nod, too choked up for anything else. He slides the ring onto my finger and hugs me.

"Hey, hey. Don't cry, it won't be that bad."  
I laugh.

"You know, I always knew my mother would pick the man I married, but still, ever since I was a little girl, I always dreamed of getting proposed to."

"Did I fulfill your every hope and dream?"  
I laugh, nodding. "You did great. Not a big, long sappy spiel."

"I figured that's what you'd want."  
I laugh and hug him again.

He grins at me and tells me he's going to go pack a quick bag for our trip.

Quickly, I grab everything and everything that could help me with the wedding and everything else we're doing. Piper comes back first, then everyone trickling after her. Once we're all here, I lead the way out of my window onto the ground.

Nine stolen horses would be too noticeable, so we walk instead, the sun shining. We make it to an inn in good time and request rooms—Percy and I share, and the rest of them get their own.

After we've all put the stuff we don't want on the beds, we go into town.

"Piper, remember the dress shop I told you about a really long time ago?"  
She blinks. "Uh. Oh, yeah."  
"I'm going there to get a dress. There's an adjoined men's shop, so we can do the clothes shopping at the same time."  
"Alright. Then we need someone to marry you. Otherwise we're good. You're having a really fancy wedding tomorrow, so you we might as well do this one simple."  
"Okay, then let's go."  
We head down and out, and I lead the way to the dress shop. Percy and the boys disappear into the shop connected, and the girls go into the boutique.

"Oh, Annabeth! Hi, hon!"  
"Hi, Drew," I greet the owner with fake enthusiasm. She comes around a display of dresses, grinning.

"What brings you? Your mother just picked out a dress a couple days ago! Was it not to your liking?"  
"Uh, no it was fine."  
"Good." She smirks. "Then what do you need?"  
"I need another dress. Much simpler, and dresses for all of these girls," I gesture to Piper, Hazel, and Reyna. Drew claps her hands.  
"When do you need them, hon?"  
"Today. That won't be a problem?"  
She smirks again. "No, hon."  
"Good."  
Quickly, we pick out plain dresses, more like sun dresses, really, but I don't want to get all fancy two days in a row.

"Okay, you can pick them up in a couple hours!" She ushers us out while giving us the evil eye.

Once out on the street, I roll my eyes.

"What's her problem?" Piper asks.

"She's always like that," I reply. "It's normal."

Percy stumbles out of the shop next door.

"That was great," He mutters, coming up to me. "I got a really nice nothing."  
I pat his cheek. "That's okay."  
"You're okay."  
"Hmm?"

He puts his hands on my waist and pulls me in, kissing me softly.

"Oh, thanks," I say once we separate, smiling at him. He grins back.

"Anytime."  
"I hope so."

Piper waves at me, and we follow her this time to a small little chapel on a dead end street. It's tall, pale, and eerie, standing alone.

"Perfect," Percy declares, looking at it.

I cock an eyebrow at him. "Really?"  
"Sure. No one will bother us."  
I shrug. "Fine. Let's go."  
We creep inside the church, on guard. It's large and empty, with a tall ceiling supported by arches.

"Can I help you?"  
We look to the front. A man in priest robes stands, holding a book.

"Uh, yeah. We want to get married," I say, gesturing at Percy. "Today."  
He shrugs. "Why not? Come back in three hours."  
"Thanks."  
We leave, hardly believing our luck.

After picking up our dresses, we head back to the inn. We separate, the boys in one room, the girls in the other. Piper does everyone's face colorings to match their dresses, and pretty soon, we're ready.

Reyna makes sure the boys are all gone, then leads me down the roads to the church I wait outside while they walk down the aisle ahead of me. It's kind of comical, because there's no music, but I manage it with a straight face. Percy doesn't—he's waiting at the end, barely containing his giggles. He's still grinning at me when the priest goes through his speech, until it's time for us to exchange rings. Men wear them on their middle fingers, women on their third finger. Tradition says that you are to touch your fingertips together and slide the rings off one finger and onto the other. His is golden, shining and bright, and mine is gold with a sea-green jewel set in the center.

"Will you be, faithfully and always, belonging to each other?"  
"We will," We respond in unison. The priest smiles, and then gestures at both of us. Percy cups my face, the ring cold on my cheek.

Then he kisses me.


	26. Chapter 26

**Thanks for reviewing! I noticed some people said that they don't find Percy and Annabeth getting married a lot on fanfiction. Well, now you get it twice. Sort of. ;)**

Percy and I spend the night in our room at the inn, then we head back to the palace for a hectic scene. Several servants warn me that the queen is waiting for me, and not too happy. I thank them, each time, with a smile, because Percy and I are married and nothing can bring me down.

"Annabeth, where were you?" Mother's voice thunders at me. I smile as sweet as I possibly can.

"I was out on the town, Mother. You didn't object when I asked."  
She sighs, probably not remembering in the rush of things. "Yes, yes, dear. As long as you didn't do anything too damaging."  
I wonder if she classifies getting married against her wishes damaging. Probably.

"Go to your room. There are several women in there, to help you get ready."  
I smile without another word and head back to my room. There are about a dozen women, who wash me and dress me, do my hair and face colorings, for hours. Ten minutes until three, I follow a quick procession down the stairs into the royal chapel. About fifty bridesmaids float down the aisle in time with music, then the flower girls, ring boys, and a bunch of others with official positions. Percy's waiting at the end of the aisle, smiling at me. I hardly contain a wink, knowing there are too many people here.  
The walk down the aisle gives me time to look around. It seems like the entire kingdom is here, watching me. The dress is embroidered with little crystals, which sparkle in the light of the huge windows spaced around the rooms. My train is still out the door, but it should be in by a few feet by the time I reach the altar.

Which I finally do. The priest starts talking, about royal connections and love and such, going on and on. Finally, he has Percy remove my veil. He reaches for my stomach, where the end of it is, and floats it back. The priest splashes water on my face and blesses Percy with wisdom.

Finally, the moment we've both been waiting for, he asks us to put our hands up. We've left our rings on, and they gleam in the sunlight. The priest falters, and Mother, standing behind him, leans over to see what the problem is. When she sees the rings, she sucks in a breath.

"What is the meaning of this?" She demands. The entire chapel is silent, awaiting our answer.

I smirk. "We got married yesterday. How we wanted."  
She throws her hands up in disgust.  
"Get rid of those rings and put the new ones on."  
"No," I say. "These are the ones we were married with. We're keeping these."  
She glares, then glances at Percy.

"Do you have anything to say? Or do you just do what she tells you?"  
He smiles at her. "My mother taught me not to say anything if I couldn't say anything nice."  
Her nostrils flare.  
"We'll proceed to the reception."  
The priest announces it, and Percy and I walk out, over my train.  
Percy heads left, for the banquet/ballroom, but I yank him to the right, against the wall.

His eyes twinkle.

"You need something?"  
"Always."  
He smiles, leaning down to kiss me.

"Hey! That wall is holy! No kissing, or anything of the sort, is allowed anywhere near it!" The priest yells at us. Percy pulls away from me slightly.

"Then I guess this is the most excitement it's ever had," He replies before coming back to me.

I can see the priest still standing there, but after a few seconds without a response from us, he walks off.

Percy and I finally decide to go to the reception. He cuts of my train before we head in and leaves it lying in the hallway.

People greet us excitedly, asking to see our rings and how the real wedding was. We laugh, and answer all their questions. We dance, eat cake, and have a wonderful time. Piper is extremely pleased with us, even though we didn't plan any of it.  
About a hundred times some man wants to dance with me. Percy never lets them.

The party continues late into the night, but finally, everyone but our close friends are left. We sit on the tables, eating cupcakes and exchanging random stories.

Mother is about to leave when the door flings open, revealing a tall man, with Percy's eyes and a crown.

Percy grins. "Hello, Father."  
The man chuckles. "Ah, there's m'boy! How was the wedding? Heard it was a riot!"  
Mother rolls her eyes.

"Who invited you, Poseidon?"  
"Nobody, Athena. I don't need an invitation to come to my son's wedding! Ah, so you're the lucky girl, eh?" He stops in front of me.  
"Yes, sir. I'm Annabeth."  
"Hello, Annabeth. I have a feeling you'll make a good ruler."  
"She's not heir," Mother says, shooting daggers with her eyes at him.

"No, but Perseus is. And since they're married, that makes her crown princess of Oceana." He explains it like he's talking to a toddler.

"She's not going to Oceana, Poseidon."

"Come have a drink with me, Athena."

He takes her arm and pulls her out of the room. We watch, fascinated.

"Well, that'll turn out nicely," Piper says. We know enough not to question her.

"Now what?" Leo sighs. "You're going to go off and be queen and king. We'll never get to play."  
I throw a sprinkle at him. He torches it.  
"Poseidon's young. He'll last a while longer."  
Leo lays back on the table. "So what do we do?"  
I shrug, even though he isn't looking.  
"We'll do what we do best. We'll keep at it with the Argo II. We'll help the people, protect them and ourselves. And kick butt."

Percy smiles at me, laces his fingers in mine, and whispers in my ear.  
"As long as we're together."

**So…yeah. This is the last chapter. Wow. I didn't really expect that. I'm planning a story which might have connections with this one, so stay tuned! Review, please! **


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